Gaza Strip: A depressing report from the UN Human Rights Office shows that almost 70% of the people killed in the current war in the Gaza Strip are women and children. Human rights campaigners around the world are very worried about the high death toll. The UN says that Israel’s heavy attacks on the heavily crowded Gaza Strip are to blame for a lot of the damage.
The study, which covers the years November 2023 to April 2024, shows how many terrible deaths the war between Israel and Hamas has caused. Health officials in Gaza say that more than 44,000 people have died, and they don’t make a distinction between citizens and fighters. The UN did stress, though, that the civilian population is suffering more than it should from the bloodshed.
Volker Türk, who is the UN’s human rights envoy, spoke out against the widespread destruction and called for responsibility. He said that people might have broken international humanitarian law by breaking rules like the ones about difference and balance. Speaking out against breaking international rules, Mr. Türk said that not following these laws has made the humanitarian situation worse. He also asked countries to work together, including with the International Criminal Court, to look into these claims of breaches and take action.
The UN report says that Hamas broke international law very badly, especially during the attacks on October 7, 2023, when more than 1,200 Israelis died and about 250 were taken hostage. However, it also says that Israel’s military response was very bad for the civilian population. The study questions the Israeli military’s focused method and points out that many homes, religious and cultural places, and hospitals have been destroyed.
The UN was also worried about the use of technologies like AI for specific strikes, the killing of media and medical staff, and strategies that caused a lot of people to be forced to move and communications to go down. Due to the broad damage in Gaza, contact problems, and a lack of relief help, many people can’t get to resources they need.
“The shocking number of civilian deaths and suffering in Gaza shows that basic rules of international humanitarian law are not being followed,” Mr. Türk said. He made it clear that these kinds of violations could not go on and asked for quick action to protect human life and respect.
While the study doesn’t say that Israel’s actions are war crimes, it does say that they might be if there is proof of a planned and systematic attack on people. Concerns were also raised about the use of white phosphorus and the attack on important facilities, which made the call for a deeper look into the conflict even stronger.
