But the UN breakdown of the victims’ age and gender backs the Palestinian assertion that women and children represent a large portion of those killed in the war.
“It is essential that there is due reckoning with respect to the allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
Israel denies report’s finding
A family gathers around a fire in front of the rubble of their home, destroyed by airstrikes in November 2023. Source: Getty / Ahmad Hasaballah
It has said approximately one civilian has been killed for every fighter, a ratio it blames on Hamas, saying the Palestinian militant group uses civilian facilities.
Ajith Sunghay, Head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, told reporters at a briefing in Geneva that the fatalities included in the report were verified by three sources such as neighbours, family members, local NGOs, hospital records or UN staff on the ground.
“The numbers are, of course, massive compared to previous years, so we do need time to catch up and verify”, he said, adding that he thought the final UN tally was likely to be similar to the Palestinian toll.
Children represent more than 40 per cent of those killed
Overall, those aged 18 or under represented 44 per cent of the victims, with children aged five to nine representing the single biggest age category, followed by those aged 10-14, and then those aged up to and including four.
It showed that in 88 per cent of cases, five or more people were killed in the same attack, pointing to the Israeli military’s use of weapons with an effect across a wide area, although it said some fatalities may have been the result of errant projectiles from Palestinian armed groups.
