Shafaq News/ On Friday, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) confirmed 8,119 dead in Gaza, nearly 70% were women and children.

The detailed analysis of violations covered the six-month period from November 2023 to April 2024, only included deaths it has been able to verify from three sources.

The verified death toll of 8,119, including 2,036 women and 3,588 children. Of those fatalities, the OHCHR has so far found close to 70% to be children and women. The high casualty rates per attack are largely attributed to the Israeli Army use of wide-impact weapons in densely populated areas. However, some of these fatalities may also be due to misfired projectiles from Palestinian armed groups, UN Human Rights Office suggested.

The OHCHR declared that “the most represented of verified fatalities are children. The three categories of age most represented were children aged from 5 to 9 years old, children from 10 to 14 years old, and babies and children from 0 to 4 years old. Of the verified fatalities, about 80% were killed in residential buildings or similar housing, out of which 44% were children and 26% were women.”

According to the OHCHR, civilians have endured the worst of the conflict, starting with the initial “complete siege” of Gaza by Israeli forces and ongoing violations by the Israeli government, including blocking or restricting humanitarian aid, destroying civilian infrastructure, and causing repeated mass displacements. This conduct by Israeli forces has led to unprecedented fatalities, injuries, hunger, and the spread of illness, the report states. It also notes that actions by Palestinian armed groups have likely contributed to civilian harm during the hostilities.

The total number is far lower than the more than 43,000 people killed announced by Palestinian health authorities since the start of Israel's military campaign on Gaza in October 2023.

In a statement accompanying a 32-page report, the OHCHR indicated that these findings demonstrate “a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, including distinction and proportionality.”

And if committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, they may also constitute genocide, the report warns.

“The International Court of Justice, in its series of orders on provisional measures, underscored the international obligations of Israel to prevent, protect against and punish acts of genocide and associated prohibited conduct,” the OHCHR declared.

“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 and that, in the meantime, all relevant information and evidence are collected and preserved,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk.

Nevertheless, the report stated that on October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed widespread violations of international law, targeting Israeli and foreign civilians, committing killings, abuse, sexual violence, property destruction, and taking hostages. These actions may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. The groups later celebrated the attacks, an act the report describes as deeply troubling and unacceptable.