Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children, UN rights office says

GENEVA — 

The U.N. Human Rights Office said connected Friday astir 70% of the fatalities it has verified successful the Gaza warfare were women and children, and condemned what it called a systematic usurpation of the cardinal principles of planetary humanitarian law.

The U.N. number covers the archetypal 7 months of the Israel-Hamas struggle successful the Gaza Strip that began much than a twelvemonth ago.

The 8,119 victims verified by the U.N. Rights Office successful that seven-month play is considerably little than the toll of implicit 43,000 provided by Palestinian wellness authorities for the afloat 13 months of conflict.

But the U.N. breakdown of the victims' property and sex backs the Palestinian assertion that women and children correspond a ample information of those killed successful the war.

This uncovering indicates "a systematic usurpation of the cardinal principles of planetary humanitarian law, including favoritism and proportionality," the U.N. rights bureau said successful a connection accompanying the 32-page report.

"It is indispensable that determination is owed reckoning with respect to the allegations of superior violations of planetary instrumentality done credible and impartial judicial bodies and that, successful the meantime, each applicable accusation and grounds are collected and preserved," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said.

Israel did not instantly remark connected the report's findings.

Israel's military, which began its violative successful effect to the October 7, 2023, onslaught successful which Hamas fighters killed astir 1,200 radical successful confederate Israel and seized much than 250 hostages, says it takes attraction to debar harming civilians successful Gaza.

It has said astir 1 civilian has been killed for each fighter, a ratio it blames connected Hamas, saying the Palestinian militant radical uses civilian facilities. Hamas has denied utilizing civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, arsenic quality shields.

Youngest unfortunate aged 1 day

The youngest unfortunate whose decease was verified by U.N. monitors was a 1-day-old boy, and the oldest was a 97-year-old woman, the study said.

Overall, children represented 44% of the victims, with children aged 5-9 representing the azygous biggest property category, followed by those aged 10-14, and past those aged up to and including 4.

This broadly reflects the enclave's demographics, which the study said reflected an evident nonaccomplishment to instrumentality precautions to debar civilian losses.

It showed that successful 88% of cases, 5 oregon much radical were killed successful the aforesaid attack, pointing to the Israeli military's usage of weapons with an effect crossed a wide area, though it said immoderate fatalities whitethorn person been the effect of errant projectiles from Palestinian equipped groups.