United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has named and shamed Israel’s armed and security forces, Palestinian militants Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Sudan’s warring parties for killing and maiming children in 2023, adding them to an annual global list of offenders for violations against children.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.Credit: AP
In a report to the UN Security Council on Tuesday (US time), Guterres also called out the armed forces of Israel and Sudan for attacking schools and hospitals and Hamas and Islamic Jihad for abducting children.
“In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels, with a shocking 21 per cent increase in grave violations,” the report read.
“The number of instances of killing and maiming increased by a staggering 35 per cent.
“The highest numbers of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria and Sudan,” found the report, describing verification as “extremely challenging”.
The report attributed 5698 violations to Israel’s armed and security forces, 116 to Hamas and 21 to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The UN verified the killing of 2267 Palestinian children – most in Gaza between October 7 and December 31 – but said the process of determining attribution was ongoing, adding: “Most incidents were caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas by Israeli armed and security forces.”
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There were 371 verified attacked on schools and hospitals in 2023, of which Israel’s forces were responsible for 340, according to the report.
The UN also verified five instances of military use of ambulances by Israeli forces and one case where Hamas had used a health centre for military purposes.
Israel is retaliating against Hamas over an October 7 attack by its militants. More than 1200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, according to Israeli tallies. More than 100 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza.
Israel’s UN envoy Gilad Erdan said on Friday he had been notified that Israel’s military had been added to the list, describing the decision as “shameful.” Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad could not immediately be reached for comment.
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