Nearly 70 percent of deaths in Gaza are women and children: UN

Overall, 44 percent of nan victims were children; nan youngest was a day-old boy and nan oldest was a 97-year-old woman.

United Nations quality authorities main Volker Turk has condemned Israel’s “apparent indifference” to nan killing of civilians successful Gaza, aft a caller study from his agency showed that astir 70 percent of verified deaths were of women and children.

The Office of nan UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published nan study connected Friday, having verified 8,119 of nan much than 34,500 group reportedly killed during nan first six months of Israel’s warfare successful Gaza, uncovering that a precocious proportionality were women and children – nan youngest conscionable 1 time old.

Turk blasted Israel’s “wanton disregard” for nan “rules of warfare … designed to limit and forestall quality suffering successful times of equipped conflict”. He urged Israel to comply pinch its world obligations, noting its existent siege of bluish Gaza and its determination to sever ties pinch nan UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The study warned that “widespread aliases systematic” attacks connected civilians could magnitude to “crimes against humanity”.

“And if committed pinch intent to destroy, successful full aliases successful part, a national, ethnical, group aliases belief group, they whitethorn besides represent genocide,” it said.

The UN’s breakdown of nan victims’ ages and genders backs nan Palestinian assertion that women and children correspond a ample information of those killed successful nan war.

A Palestinian female who mislaid her limb erstwhile her family location was deed successful an Israeli onslaught successful nan Jabalia exile campy successful nan bluish Gaza Strip, is carried down a ladder connected November 7, 2024 [AFP]

Overall, 44 percent of nan victims were children, pinch nan biggest azygous class aged 5 to nine, followed by those aged 10-14, and past those aged up to and including four.

The youngest unfortunate was a one-day-old boy and nan oldest, a 97-year-old woman.

It showed that successful 88 percent of cases, 5 aliases much group were killed successful nan aforesaid attack, pointing to nan Israeli military’s usage of weapons impacting wide areas successful densely populated zones.

Some of nan deaths whitethorn besides person been nan consequence of errant projectiles from Palestinian equipped groups dropping short, nan study added.

It besides pointed to “the Israeli government’s continuing unlawful failures to allow, facilitate and guarantee nan introduction of humanitarian aid, nan demolition of civilian infrastructure, and repeated wide displacement”.

“This behaviour by Israeli forces has caused unprecedented levels of killings, death, injury, starvation, unwellness and disease,” it continued.

Israel did not instantly remark connected nan report’s findings.

Israel’s warfare connected Gaza has killed astatine slightest 43,469 Palestinians and injured 102,561 since October 7, 2023, according to nan enclave’s Ministry of Health.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies