UN report cites alleged Israel crimes against children

U.N. agencies in Israel and the Palestinian territories reported an alarming number of child victims in last year’s war in the Gaza Strip but were split on whether Israel should be put on a list of violators of children’s rights, a U.N. document shows. Their 22-page confidential country report, obtained by Reuters on Friday, was prepared by United Nations agencies on the ground for submission to the U.N. special envoy for children and armed conflict as she readied a draft of the annual list.

[It was] not clear how the listing criteria should be applied and whether they had been satisfied.

A UN report by special envoy Leila Zerrougui of Algeria

The U.N. agencies’ country report used strong language on alleged violations of children’s rights in the Gaza war. It specified what it said were unlawful deaths and injuries of Palestinian children caused by Israeli forces, detention of Palestinian children and attacks on schools.But the report added thaty the heads of the U.N. agencies on the ground had failed to reach a consensus on whether to list Israel among grave violators of children’s rights in armed conflicts.

Middle East gaza