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Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children [1]
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Date: 2024-11
Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead are women and children, UN says
Reuters About 44% of verified victims were children and 26% women, the UN said
The UN's Human Rights Office has condemned the high number of civilians killed in the war in Gaza, saying its analysis shows close to 70% of verified victims over a six-month period were women and children. The agency said the high number was largely due to Israel's use of weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas, although some deaths may have been the result of errant projectiles by Palestinian armed groups. The report said it found "unprecedented" levels of international law violations, raising concerns about "war crimes and other possible atrocity crimes". Israel has in the past said it targets Hamas and takes steps to mitigate risk to civilians by using precise munitions.
The BBC contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment in response to Friday's report. The UN agency said it verified the details of 8,119 people killed in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024. Its analysis found around 44% of verified victims were children and 26% women. The ages most represented among the dead were five to nine-year-olds. About 80% of victims were killed in residential buildings or similar housing, the agency added. The report said the data indicates "an apparent indifference to the death of civilians and the impact of the means and methods of warfare". Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN sees as reliable, has reported a death toll of more than 43,300 people over the past 13 months. Many more bodies are believed to remain under the rubble of bombarded buildings. The health ministry said it obtained full demographic data for a majority of those killed and reported that children account for one in three of that number. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said in a statement that "this unprecedented level of killing, and injury of civilians is a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law". He cited the laws of distinction, which requires warring parties to distinguish between combatants and civilians, proportionality, which prohibits attacks where harm to civilians outweighs military advantage, and precautions in attacks. Türk called for a "due reckoning with respect to the allegations of serious violations of international law". The IDF has previously told the BBC in response to criticism that it "will continue to act, as it always has done, according to international law".
Reuters The UN said the high number of women and child casualties was largely due to Israel's use of weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated areas
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