United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has officially added Israel’s military to a global list of entities committing violations against children, confirmed his spokesman on Friday.
Israel has been informed that it will be included in the secretary-general’s annual report on children in armed conflict, which is scheduled to be submitted to the UN Security Council next Friday, according to Stephane Dujarric during a press briefing. Additionally, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad will also be listed, alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), as reported by a diplomatic source.
Dujarric mentioned that the Israeli UN mission was contacted by Guterres’ chief of staff on Friday as a courtesy to inform newly listed countries in advance, aiming to prevent leaks. “This is done to give those countries a heads-up and avoid leaks,” he stated.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded strongly to the UN’s decision. In a statement, Netanyahu said, “Today, the UN added itself to the black list of history when it joined those who support the Hamas murderers.” He described the Israeli military as “the most moral army in the world.”
According to the UN, as of Wednesday, 7,797 children had been killed in Gaza, representing over 30 percent of the total fatalities.
On Thursday, the Israeli military announced it had conducted an airstrike on a UN-run school in central Gaza, targeting Hamas fighters. However, health authorities in Gaza reported that the strike resulted in 40 deaths, including 14 children.
