In brief
The UN has identified that a significant percentage of casualties in the Gaza conflict are civilians, primarily women and children, arising from the use of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas. The report brings attention to alleged violations of international law.
The UN's Human Rights Office has released a shocking report highlighting that nearly 70% of those killed in the Gaza conflict are women and children. An analysis from the UN covers a six-month period from November 2023 to April 2024 and reveals that approximately 44% of the verified victims were children and 26% were women. The agency attributes this tragic toll largely to Israel's deployment of weapons that have a wide area of effect within densely populated regions, although it also acknowledges that some casualties may stem from errant projectiles launched by Palestinian armed groups.The report points to "unprecedented" levels of violation of international laws during the conflict, raising serious concerns over potential war crimes. Israel has contended that its military operations target Hamas and that it seeks to minimize civilian harm by employing precise munitions. In response to the UN's findings, the BBC sought a comment from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).According to the UN agency, they verified the deaths of 8,119 individuals during this period, with the highest mortality rates among children aged five to nine. Shockingly, around 80% of these fatalities occurred in residential buildings or similar living conditions. This data shows a "disturbing indifference" to civilian casualties and outlines the severe repercussions of the current warfare strategies employed.Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reports a staggering death toll exceeding 43,300 over the past 13 months, with many bodies presumed to be trapped under debris from bombarded structures. Their demographic analysis indicates that children represent one-third of the total casualties.UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the significant civilian deaths, stating, "This unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law." He emphasized critical legal obligations under international humanitarian law, including the necessity to distinguish between civilian and combatant targets and to prevent excessive civilian harm relative to military gains.The UN's report sheds light on the devastating impact of the combatants' tactics, noting the Palestinian armed groups' use of indiscriminate projectiles from densely populated areas, which also contributes to the high casualty figures. Concurrently, the IDF's military actions have been reported as destructive to civilian infrastructure, leaving a large portion of the surviving population facing severe shortages of essential needs such as food, water, and healthcare.In northern Gaza, conditions are especially dire, where aid organizations report an effective siege since Israel's renewed ground offensives began. The UN noted that no food aid reached the region during the initial two weeks of October, prompting the US government to urge Israel to escalate humanitarian aid efforts by the deadline of November 12.Jan Egeland, the leader of the Norwegian Refugee Council, expressed his despair over the conditions in Gaza after a recent visit, describing widespread devastation reminiscent of historical battle sites. "You cannot fathom how intense this indiscriminate bombing has been on this trapped population," he stated, emphasizing that women and children are bearing the brunt of the conflict's repercussions.The current violence erupted following Hamas' surprise attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 individuals in Israel and resulted in the abduction of 251 people into Gaza, leading to Israel's sustained military response.
