The United Nations has condemned the high civilian death toll in Gaza, revealing that close to 70% of the verified victims are women and children. This staggering statistic follows a six-month analysis by the UN’s Human Rights Office, which has raised serious concerns about possible war crimes.
Civilian Casualties in Gaza: A Breakdown
The UN attributes the high death toll to Israel’s use of weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas. Some casualties are also thought to result from errant projectiles launched by Palestinian armed groups. The report describes “unprecedented” levels of international law violations, sparking fears of atrocities.
Israel has maintained it targets Hamas while taking measures to limit civilian casualties, including the use of precise munitions. The UN’s data, however, shows a different impact: of the 8,119 people confirmed killed in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024, around 44% were children and 26% women, with many casualties occurring in residential buildings.
UN Calls Out Violations of Humanitarian Law
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk has warned that the conflict’s conduct is causing immense civilian suffering. He noted violations of core humanitarian principles: the need to distinguish between combatants and civilians, ensure proportionality, and take precautions to limit civilian harm. Türk has called for accountability for these serious breaches of international law.
The UN’s analysis also highlights the toll on Gaza’s infrastructure and the hardships of those left displaced and injured. Conditions are especially dire in northern Gaza, where residents face shortages of essentials like water, food, and medical care. Humanitarian access remains heavily restricted, with no food aid reaching northern Gaza during the first two weeks of October.
Severe Impact on Gaza’s Civilian Population
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, recently described the scale of destruction in Gaza as “devastation beyond belief.” On a recent visit, he observed widespread destruction, with many areas “looking like Stalingrad after the Second World War.” He emphasised that it is “first and foremost children and women who are paying the price for this senseless war.”
Background to the Current Conflict
Israel launched its latest offensive in Gaza following an attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023, which killed 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages taken to Gaza.
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