Israel’s deliberate targeting of Gaza children part of genocide: UN inquiry

A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel continues to deliberately target and kill Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and war crimes in the occupied West Bank. In a report published on Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel examined Israeli violations against Palestinian children since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list The report found that about 30 percent of people killed in Gaza since the start of the war were children. The report noted that Israel’s targeting of neonatal and maternity care centres during its war on Gaza directly endangered Palestinians’ reproductive future and the survival of newborns – driving a rise in miscarriages, birth defects and lasting vulnerabilities. It found that Israel’s aid blockade in Gaza last year also took a severe toll on Palestinian children, causing starvation-related deaths and a rise in disease as immunisation rates fell. “The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission, said. …