In a surprising move, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has added Israel Defense Forces to a list of perpetrators of violence against children in conflict. According to an official notification received by Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, Israel had been included in the list of countries failing to prevent violence against children during conflicts. The Israeli army was specifically mentioned in the UN Secretary-General’s List of Children and Armed Conflict for not taking adequate measures to protect children in conflict.
Erdan expressed shock and disgust at the decision, calling it shameful. The decision comes shortly after an eight-month war in Gaza that resulted in the deaths of over 13,000 children among the 36,500 total casualties. Additionally, a recent Israeli bombardment of a UN school in central Gaza resulted in the deaths of over 40 Palestinians, some of whom were children.
Israel plans to present its arguments to the UN Security Council at an upcoming meeting in response to their inclusion on the list. The Guardian reported that the majority of the fatalities in the Gaza war were children, highlighting the grave impact of the conflict on innocent civilians. The move by Guterres is likely to spark controversy and debate within both Israel and international community.
