The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, told Israel on Friday that it would be added to the so-called “list of shame” for alleged breaches against children during armed conflict.
This year, the list included Israel and Hamas for the first time, along with Russia, the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Afghanistan, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
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Every year, Guterres compiles a list of governments and entities that he believes have committed severe crimes against children during an armed conflict.
On June 26, the United Nations Security Council will hold a hearing on the report.
The secretary general’s office called Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, on Friday ahead of the list’s publication next week to inform him of Israel’s inclusion in the annual report.
Previous reports accused Israel of violating children’s rights in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but they have yet to include it in their annex of “listed parties that have not put in place measures during the reporting period to improve the protection of children,” also known as the list of shame.
The report’s draft cited data from the Gaza Health Ministry, under Hamas control, indicating that the conflict has claimed the lives of approximately 8,000 children since October 7. According to the ministry, the overall number of deaths exceeds 36,000.
The report also accused Israel of conducting large-scale bombardment during its siege of Gaza, resulting in high civilian casualties, and criticized the government for failing to punish Israeli attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank.
The list carries no fines, but the consequences might exacerbate Israel’s already strained relationship with the United Nations and the world community.
Israeli officials objected to their country’s inclusion in the study. In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “The United Nations has put itself on the blacklist of history today by joining the supporters of Hamas murderers.” The IDF is the world’s most moral army, and no ridiculous decision by the United Nations will change that.
Erdan said he was “utterly shocked and disgusted” by Guterres’ announcement and that the “shameful decision of the secretary-general will only give Hamas hope.”
Opposition party leader Yair Lapid, who has blasted Netanyahu and stated he “has lost all ability to stop Israel’s political deterioration,” termed Guterres’ action “a serious and baseless political step by the U.N. secretary-general, who has long since lost all moral direction.”
