Israeli Army, Hamas in UN list of offenders committing violations against children

Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, along with Israel, are set to be included on an upcoming list by the United Nations of countries and armed forces deemed as failing to protect children during war.

Israel's UN envoy, Gilad Erdan, confirmed the news while describing the decision as "shameful". He said he received official notification of the verdict on Friday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to submit a report to the UN Security Council on June 14 and the global list is included in the report. Reports have mentioned that the annual "Children and Armed Conflict" report is not due to be published until June 18, but Erdan made it public after receiving notification.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on his X social media account that the UN had "added itself to the blacklist of history when it joined those who support the Hamas murderers."

"The IDF is the most moral army in the world; no delusional UN decision will change that," he wrote amid the ongoing Gaza war in which more than 13,000 children are estimated to be dead.

The war started after Hamas'unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.

Erdan lashed out at Guterres, saying: "The only one who is blacklisted today is the secretary-general."

"Now Hamas will continue even more to use schools and hospitals because this shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope," he said.

Israeli strike on UN school

This comes a day after Israel bombed a UN school in Gaza, killing more than 40 Palestinians, some them children.

Israel's army claimed it had killed 17 militants in the air strike, raising its previous toll from nine. The strike hit the school operated by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. The incident happened in the Nuseirat area of central Gaza where thousands of displaced people were sheltering.

"Since the targeted strike the (Israeli army) has confirmed the identity of 17 terrorists that were operating from the school," the military said in a statement.

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The UN report highlights human rights violations against children in around 20 conflict zones. Russia's military and armed entities linked to Russia were included on the list last year

The list covers six violations - killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, recruitment and use of children, denial of aid access and attacks on schools and hospitals.

"We can't confirm it, but if it's true, it's a thoroughly justified, albeit long overdue, move by the secretary-general," said Louis Charbonneau from Human Rights Watch.

"It's something we've long called for, along with listing Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups."

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.