UN slams indiscriminate Israeli attacks: ‘Kids aren’t terrorists’
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UN officials from a fact-finding mission investigating Israeli war crimes have condemned the entity's justification for its ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
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A Palestinian mother mourns her little child killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at a hospital in Deir al-Balah, on October 1, 2024. (AP)
UN officials from the fact-finding mission investigating Israeli war crimes have strongly refuted the entity's justification for its ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
During a UN briefing on Wednesday, Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory condemned the Israeli framing of Palestinians, especially children, as "terrorists" to rationalize its indiscriminate attacks on Gaza.
"Kids aren't terrorists," Sidoti emphasized, criticizing the Israeli branding of the population. The officials highlighted that this rhetoric has been used to justify the killing of at least 13,319 Palestinian children since the onslaught on Gaza began in October last year, contributing to the over 43,000 Palestinian killings during the brutal military campaign.
Kothari called on the Israeli key allies to reconsider their military and political support, urging them to respect international law by distinguishing between "the occupier and the occupied."
In addition, Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, called for immediate international efforts to prevent the "complete destruction" of Gaza.
"The developments on the ground are gruesome," she said.
"The genocidal violence that I have described in my first report has expanded and metastasized in other parts of the occupied Palestinian territory," the official stressed.
In her report to the UN Security Council on the situation in Gaza, Francesca Albanese concluded that "Israel" was committing genocide against the Palestinian territory. She also challenged "Israel's" legitimacy to hold a seat at the United Nations.
Albanese further criticized the United States, "Israel’s" largest supporter, accusing it of being an "enabler in what Israel has been doing," noting that the US has supplied "Israel" with billions of dollars in military aid since the war began.
'Israel' seeking 'eradication of Palestinians': UN Special Rapporteur
In a related context, Albanese said, on Tuesday, that "Israel" is committing genocide in Gaza and seeking the “eradication of Palestinians” from their land.
"The genocide of the Palestinians appears to be the means to an end: the complete removal or eradication of Palestinians from the land so integral to their identity, and which is illegally and openly coveted by Israel," she said.
Albanese's statement came a day after the Israeli parliament passed legislation banning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from operating within Palestinian territories occupied by "Israel" in 1948 and the occupied eastern part of al-Quds, despite international objections.
In January, "Israel" had accused a dozen UNRWA Gaza employees of involvement in the events of October 7, 2023, but a series of probes found no evidence for the Israeli allegations.
The ban will take effect in 90 days, halting UNRWA’s operations, including education, healthcare, and sanitation in certain neighborhoods.
'A dangerous precedent'
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the decision, calling it “a dangerous precedent” and part of an "ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA.” He warned on X (formerly Twitter) that the bill “will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians.”
The move has drawn condemnation from several countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Prior to the vote, the US expressed “deep concern” over the bill and reiterated UNRWA’s vital role in providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Washington warned "Israel" on October 15, setting a 30-day deadline to increase Gaza aid or risk potential withholding of US military assistance.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced Britain’s “grave concern,” saying the bill would make "UNRWA's essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardizing the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank."
The German government also “sharply” criticized the bill, while Ireland, Norway, Spain, and Slovenia issued a joint statement condemning it.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called UNRWA “an irreplaceable lifeline” to the Palestinian people and warned of “devastating consequences” on "all those who depend on UNRWA."
UNICEF: A new way has been found to kill children
UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies have accused Israeli authorities of limiting aid flows to Gaza, where nearly all of the territory’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once during the ongoing war.
Since the war’s outset, UNRWA has reported the killing of at least 223 staff members and extensive damage or destruction to two-thirds of its facilities in Gaza.
On his part, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder warned that the latest Israeli bill risks the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza.
"So a decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children," he said.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Jens Laerke stressed that there is no substitute for UNRWA, noting that if implemented, the Israeli bill "would add to the acts of collective punishment that we have seen imposed on Gaza."
Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration, also underscored that the organization cannot replace UNRWA in Gaza, although it could offer additional relief to those suffering amid the crisis.
Read more: UN chief says UNRWA 'indispensable', irreplaceable after Israeli ban
