The United Nations has included Israel's armed and security forces, as well as the armed wings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, on a list of groups "committing grave crimes against children" in the conflict - also known as the "list of shame".
The list is an annex to the UN Secretary General's annual report on children and armed conflicts.
The most recent report, covering the period from January to December 2023, was released on June 13.
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"During 2023, violence against children in armed conflict reached extreme levels, with a shocking 21 percent jump in serious crimes," the latest report states.
"The number of cases of murder and maiming increased by an incredible 35 percent," they add.
The 2024 report states Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories as one of the regions with the highest number of confirmed "serious crimes" against children.
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Most of the offenses attributed to Israel
The UN confirmed 5.698 violations attributed to the Israeli armed and security forces, 116 attributed to Hamas's al-Qassam Brigades and 21 to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's al-Quds Brigades.
The report states that the process of attributing an additional 2.051 identified offenses is still ongoing.
According to the UN report, it was confirmed:
- the killing of 2.267 Palestinian children, the majority in Gaza between October 7 and December 31: "Most of the incidents were caused by the use of explosive weapons in populated areas by the Israeli armed and security forces"
- the killing of 43 Israeli children - the majority in Israel and during the October 7 terrorist attacks by live ammunition, rockets or in crossfire
- abduction of 47 Israeli children by Hamas' Izaladin al-Qassam Brigades and other Palestinian armed groups
- the imprisonment of 906 Palestinian children for alleged security violations by Israeli armed and security forces
- 371 attacks on schools and hospitals attributed to Israeli armed and security forces, Israeli settlers and unidentified perpetrators
- 17 attacks on schools and hospitals in Israel by Hamas al-Qassam Brigades, other Palestinian armed groups and unidentified perpetrators
The serious crimes mentioned in the report included the mutilation of children and the denial of access to humanitarian aid.
However, "the information provided does not represent the full figure of crimes against children, since providing access to observers remains a major challenge," the UN emphasizes.
What is the 'list of shame' and who is on it?
In 1379, with Security Council Resolution 2001, the United Nations requested that the UN Secretary General identify and list "participants in the conflict" who recruit and use children.
Since then, the list has been a supplement to the UN Secretary-General's annual report, which includes "trends in the impact of armed conflict on children and information on crimes committed".
The mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, established in 1996 to report on the impact of armed conflict on children, identifies six serious offenses affecting children during conflict.
Five of these offenses automatically put any perpetrator on the UN "list of shame":
- Recruitment and use of children
- Killing and maiming children
- Sexual violence against children
- Attacks on schools and hospitals
- Kidnapping of children
Another offense is denying humanitarian aid to civilians, including children.
"It is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention and its Additional Protocols and may constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity," the UN says.
The current list includes armed groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State and the Taliban.
Last year, the Russian armed forces were added to the list.
'Immoral': Israel angry that its army is on the list
While there has so far been no comment from Hamas or Islamic Jihad on the latest UN report, Israel has attacked it as "immoral".
Courtenay Rataraj, the UN Secretary General's Chief of Protocol, informed Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan during a "courtesy call" on June 7 that the Israeli army would be placed on that list.
"Usually countries that have been put on the list for the first time are invited in order to be informed about it in advance and to avoid leaks," said UN spokesman Stefan Dužarik.
In reaction to the listing of the Israeli military, Erdan posted a video of the conversation with Rataraja on social media, calling it "an immoral decision that will only help Hamas."
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Dužarik later described the "partial publication" of the video on the X social network as "shocking and unacceptable", adding that it was something "I have not seen in the 25 years I have been serving this organization".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the UN "added itself to the black list of history when it joined those who support the killers of Hamas."
"The Israeli army is the most moral army in the world; no delusional UN decision can change that," Netanyahu replied to the UN newspaper.
Although Israel was added to the list for the first time, the country had been singled out in previous reports on children and armed conflict.
A previous report, published last year, stated that "524 children (517 Palestinian, seven Israeli) were maimed and 563 required medical attention after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli forces."
Secretary-General Guterres was previously heavily criticized by organizations for the protection of human rights for not putting Israel on the list earlier.
"The inclusion of Israeli forces on the United Nations 'list of shame' is long overdue," said Jo Becker, director of children's rights at Human Rights Watch, following the recent release of the list.
"Hamas' Al-Qassam Brigades and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades also rightly belong on that list," she added.
"15.000 children should not have died in Gaza for Israel to be on this shameful list," wrote Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, earlier this month.
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How influential is the list?
The aim of the report is to draw attention to the situation with children, but it is not legally binding.
Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, told the BBC that "the listing of countries and entities is mainly 'naming and shaming' - there are no immediate concrete legal consequences for the parties".
"It could, however, influence individual states' decisions to send arms to Israel if they believe there are concerns about Israel's compliance with the law, but does not imply any sanctions or embargoes."
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Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have already been declared terrorist organizations in Israel, the USA, Great Britain and other countries, and since they are non-state actors, their mention in the report "does not affect their legal status", according to the UN.
Gillard insists that listing has practical consequences - in terms of monitoring and reporting on children in armed conflict - as Israel and Hamas will be given more attention, and they could be named in related Security Council resolutions.
To be removed from the list, organizations named in the report must engage in dialogue with the UN to develop and implement "action plans" to prevent such crimes against children.
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