UN rapporteur likens killing of Gaza children to Nazi Holocaust practices

UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese on Saturday compared Israel’s killing of thousands of children in the Gaza Strip to practices carried out by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

Albanese made the comment in a post on X in response to remarks by Israeli model Sarai Givaty to the Hebrew-language i24NEWS channel.

The UN rapporteur reposted part of Givaty’s interview, in which she asked: “Is it possible for me not to feel sad about every child crying in the world?”

 “I am sad. But I also realise that if we don’t act, this child will grow up to become a terrorist,” Givaty said.

Albanese responded: “(Children will grow up.) This was also the argument made by Nazi officials during the Nuremberg trials to justify why they killed children during the Holocaust.”

Throughout the war in Gaza, Albanese has taken strong positions in support of Palestinians and against Israel’s actions in the territory.

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She has faced pressure and criticism over her positions and reports on Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.

In July 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Albanese, saying they were linked to her efforts to push the International Criminal Court to act against US and Israeli officials, companies and executives.

Washington had also previously asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to dismiss her, accusing her of “antisemitism”.

The Gaza government media office said on 24 August that the Israeli army had killed more than 21,500 children since the war in the territory began in October 2023.

“The occupation continues to shed the blood of innocent people, particularly children. The number of children killed since the start of the genocidal war on 7 October 2023 has exceeded 21,500 as of 24 August,” the office said in a statement, describing the figure as a “catastrophic toll” reflecting the “brutality of this organised crime”.

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