A recent UN report highlights grave civilian casualties in Gaza, with 44% of victims being children and 26% women, amid allegations of international law violations attributed to both Israeli military actions and Palestinian armed groups.
UN Reports Alarming Civilian Casualty Rates in Gaza Conflict
UN Reports Alarming Civilian Casualty Rates in Gaza Conflict
UN analysis reveals that nearly 70% of verified victims in Gaza's ongoing conflict are women and children, raising concerns over violations of international humanitarian law.
A recently published report from the United Nations Human Rights Office has unveiled a harrowing statistic: approximately 70% of the casualties from the ongoing conflict in Gaza are women and children. The analysis, which encompasses data collected over a six-month period, shows that nearly 44% of verified victims are children, while women account for 26%.
This alarming toll has been linked to Israel's deployment of wide-area effect weapons in densely populated regions, although the UN also noted that some killings may be attributed to errant fire from Palestinian factions. The report expresses serious concerns over what it describes as "unprecedented" violations of international law, heightening fears of potential war crimes and other horrific acts against civilians.
The UN has verified the deaths of 8,119 individuals in Gaza from November 2023 through April 2024. Disturbingly, around 80% of the casualties occurred in residential areas, indicating a troubling disregard for civilian life amidst the intensifying conflict. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is closely monitored by the UN for accuracy, the total death toll has surpassed 43,300, with a significant number of bodies still believed to be trapped beneath the wreckage of demolished buildings.
Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Chief, characterized this "unprecedented level" of civilian suffering as a direct outcome of violations of international humanitarian law principles. He reiterated the fundamental need for warring parties to differentiate between combatants and non-combatants while avoiding actions that would inflict disproportionate harm on civilian populations. Türk has called for accountability regarding these serious allegations of law violations.
In its defense, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) maintain that they act in accordance with international law and focus their operations on Hamas targets. However, the UN report also criticized Palestinian factions for their use of densely populated areas as military operational zones and the indiscriminate firing of projectiles.
Aid organizations such as the Norwegian Refugee Council have described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as catastrophic, with one official comparing the destruction to the aftermath of major wars. The situation is especially dire in northern Gaza, where residents are under siege and food aid has been severely limited. Reports indicate that no humanitarian assistance reached the north during the initial two weeks of October, prompting U.S. officials to urge Israel to increase aid access or face consequences regarding military support.
The conflict escalated following Hamas' surprise attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel and saw hundreds taken hostage back to Gaza. The UN's findings serve as a stark reminder of the human cost borne chiefly by women and children caught in the crossfire.
