Around 70% of deaths in Gaza are women and children, says UN

CNN — Several United Nations agencies are again sounding the alarm on the rapid deterioration of humanitarian conditions in much of Gaza and the civilian toll of more than a year of Israeli military operations. In a detailed report verifying fatalities in Gaza in the first six months of the conflict, the UN Human Rights Office said it “found close to 70 per cent to be children and women, indicating a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law” on the part of the Israeli military. OHCHR said it found a pattern showing “high numbers of babies and young children, women, older persons, and families killed together in residential buildings.” UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk said the report showed that civilian casualties were “a direct consequence of the failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law – namely the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attack.” He said that pattern continued “unabated, over one year after the start of the war.” CNN has approached the Israeli government for a response to the OHCHR report. UNICEF said that, according to the latest estimates, nearly half of the attacks recorded in October happened in northern Gaza, “where renewed intense bombardments, mass displacement, and lack of sufficient aid are pushing children to the brink.” The Israeli military has persistently alleged that Hamas uses schools and other facilities for displaced civilians as a cover for its operations. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Saturday that the report was “deeply alarming.” In a post on X, he said: “We call for an immediate scale-up and safe access for humanitarian aid — primarily food and medicines for severe malnutrition — within days not weeks.” The Israeli agency that handles the transfer of aid to Gaza rejected the report warning of the prospect of famine in northern Gaza, saying such reports in the past “have been systematically based on organizations with vested interests and partial, inaccurate knowledge.” In a statement to CNN, COGAT said the Israel Defense Forces “has repeatedly called on residents of northern Gaza to move away from high-intensity combat zones.