Nearly 7 out of 10 deaths in Gaza amid the yearlong war in the region were women and children, the United Nations said in a sprawling report Friday that faulted Israel for a devastating attack on the coastal strip.
The U.N.'s Office of Human Rights examined the toll of Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024. The report found civilians bore the brunt of the conflict.
More than 44,000 people have died in Gaza to date, according to local health officials, but that number does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The U.N. said in an analysis of the report that the nearly 70 percent of deaths being women and children indicate "a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality."
U.N. Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk said there should be a "due reckoning" to the allegations........