GENEVA: A UN committee on Thursday accused Israel of severe breaches of a global treaty protecting children’s rights, saying its military actions in Gaza had a catastrophic impact on them and are among the worst violations in recent history.

Palestinian health authorities say 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign.

Of those killed in Gaza, at least 11,355 are children, Palestinian data shows, and thousands more are injured.

“The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history,” Bragi Gudbrandsson, vice chair of the committee, told reporters.

“I don’t think we have seen before, a violation that is so massive, as we are seeing in Gaza now...These are extremely grave violations that we do not often see,” he said.

The 18-member UN Committee monitors countries’ compliance with the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child — a widely-adopted treaty that protects them from violence and other abuses.

In its conclusions, it called on Israel to provide urgent assistance to thousands of children maimed or injured by the war, provide support for orphans and allow more medical evacuations from Gaza.

The UN body has no means of enforcing its recommendations although countries generally aim to comply. During the hearings, the UN experts also asked many questions about Israeli children, including details about those taken prisoner by Hamas to which Israel’s delegation gave extensive responses.

Sabine Tassa, the mother of a 17-year-old boy shot dead in the Oct 7 raids, addressed the UN hearings and said child survivors were traumatised.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2024