UN Commission Says Israel Deliberately Targeted Children in Gaza

A United Nations international independent commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel has stated that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children in acts constituting genocide and war crimes. “Evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces,” said Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday (23/6). Muralidhar stated that Israel continues to ignore the ceasefire and children remain victims of killings by Israel. The independent UN commission reiterated that the deliberate targeting of children is one of the key elements confirming a “genocidal intent” by Israeli authorities to destroy Palestinians in whole or in part in the Gaza Strip. The commission also noted that Palestinian children have been arrested, tortured, and subjected to cruel treatment in Israeli prisons. The statement further said that attacks on maternity hospitals and postnatal care centres, as well as the destruction of orphanages and schools, undermine the future foundations of Palestinian society. The UN commission also identified military units within the Israeli security forces responsible for the killing and wounding of Palestinian children. Since 7 October 2023, the conflict between Hamas fighters and Israel has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 170,000 others. According to Israeli authorities, at least 1,200 Israelis have died as a result of the war.