Israel violated global children’s rights treaty in Gaza, says UN committee

A UN committee has condemned severe violations by Israel of a global treaty protecting children’s rights, saying its military actions since 7 October have had a “catastrophic” impact on them, Reuters has reported.

“The committee condemns in the strongest terms the severe violations of rights under the convention in the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territories], including the tremendous loss of life as a result of the state party’s military actions,” said the four-person committee on Thursday. The convention referred to is the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Israel’s delegation argued in a series of UN hearings earlier this month that the treaty did not apply in Gaza or the West Bank and claimed that it is committed to respecting international humanitarian law. The occupation state is facing charges of genocide at the International Criminal Court, which it denies.

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