The United Nations has placed the Israeli military and Hamas on a global list of perpetrators committing violations against children due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
This development comes as Israeli bombardments continue across the Gaza Strip, particularly targeting displaced persons’ camps, as the conflict enters its ninth month.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, criticized the decision by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to include the Israeli military in the list, calling it disgraceful. Erdan confirmed he was officially informed of the decision on Friday.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that Israel was notified about its inclusion on the list, which identifies entities that violate children’s rights during conflicts.
A diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Friday that Guterres also added Hamas and Islamic Jihad to the list of shame for their failure to respect children’s rights in conflicts. This list is set to be officially published on June 18.
The international decision has sparked outrage in Israel, as it is set to take effect by the end of June. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that the decision will affect Israel’s relations with the United Nations.
Israeli Channel 13 reported that Tel Aviv is trying to prevent the decision from being finalized this week, but the chances of success appear slim, according to an Israeli official.
Discussions within the Israeli National Security Council and military indicate that the UN is likely to declare the Israeli army as an organization that harms and kills children. This list predominantly includes those involved in recruiting children, exploiting them sexually, killing or maiming them, attacking schools or hospitals, and other violations.
If the UN decision becomes official, it will remain in effect for four years, raising significant concerns in Tel Aviv about its practical implications, especially potential harm to arms supplies to Israel.
On the ground, Israeli air, land, and sea bombardments continue throughout the besieged Gaza Strip. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 77 people were killed in the past 24 hours as of Friday morning, bringing the total death toll of the Israeli war to 36,731 Palestinians, the majority of whom are civilians.
Six people were killed in Deir al-Balah, and another six were injured overnight by a rocket strike on a family home in the Maghazi refugee camp, according to a medical source.
Osama Al-Kahlout of the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza told AFP that occupation forces and snipers positioned themselves in the Mills area east of Deir al-Balah, posing a danger to movement along Salah al-Din Street.
A medical source reported that an Israeli airstrike on a house in eastern Khan Yunis in southern Gaza killed five Palestinians on Friday.
The Israeli military targeted the Maghazi and Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza and the town of Qarara near Khan Yunis, according to local sources.
In a statement, the Israeli military said its forces continue operations in areas east of Bureij and east of Deir al-Balah, where they have killed dozens of fighters and destroyed tunnels and infrastructure used by them.
In Rafah, Israeli forces reported discovering numerous tunnels and weapons on Thursday.
In Gaza City, two people were killed, and others were injured in an Israeli rocket attack on a house, according to a medical source.
Palestinian media reported casualties and injuries from an Israeli attack on a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Al-Shati refugee camp in northwest Gaza. Gaza’s civil defense reported that its teams rushed to the school site following the bombardment.
An AFP correspondent reported that Israeli warships fired shells toward homes in the Sheikh Ajlin fishing port area west of Gaza City on Friday.