Guterres Adds Israeli Army to List of 'Perpetrators of Violence Against Children'; Netanyahu: You Have Placed Yourself on History's Blacklist

Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN, announced that Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has added the Israeli army to the global list of countries and entities that commit 'violence against children.' He posted a video of his conversation with a UN official on the platform 'X,' calling this decision 'shameful,' 'cruel,' and 'wrong.' In this conversation, he emphasizes that it is Hamas that uses children for its terrorist purposes and has turned schools and hospitals into military complexes. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, stated that the United Nations has added itself to the blacklist of history by joining those who support the murderous members of Hamas. Israel Katz, Israel's Foreign Minister, also mentioned that this decision will have 'consequences for Israel's relations with the UN.' This global list is included in a report about the impact of armed conflicts on children, which the UN Secretary-General is set to present to the Security Council on June 15. Margaret Bashir, a Voice of America reporter at the UN, stated that a trusted diplomat informed her that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also been placed on this blacklist. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, criticized the release of the phone conversation online, stating, 'Recording this phone call and publishing part of it on the platform 'X' is shocking and unacceptable, and in my 25 years of service in this organization, I have never seen anything like it.' The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General mentioned that this report will be discussed after its presentation in an open debate. He added that Security Council member states have mandated the Secretary-General to report annually on the issue of children and armed conflict. The six violations addressed in this report include killing, disability, sexual violence, abduction, exploitation of children, depriving them of access to aid, and attacks on schools and hospitals, but it is unclear which of these violations led to Israel, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad being placed on the list of countries and entities committing 'violence against children.' Last month, the UN, citing data from the Gaza Health Ministry regarding identified bodies, announced that at least 7,797 children have been killed in Gaza during the eight-month war. The Gaza government media office claims that approximately 15,500 children have been killed in total. The Israeli National Council for Children states that 38 children were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, which sparked the war, and 43 of the 250 people taken hostage that day were children. These children, except for two, have been released. Israel began its operations in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, in which Iranian-backed militants killed about 1,200 people and took over 250 hostage. Many countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, and Israel, have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. Complete sanctions on UNRWA; the US State Department is seeking a replacement organization to send aid to Gaza. UNICEF: Gaza is 'the most dangerous place in the world for children.' Hospitals in Gaza request assistance for patient evacuation; the risk of 'widespread disease outbreaks' and child casualties. Doctors Without Borders urges Israel to show its 'humanity.' UNICEF calls for access to humanitarian aid for Gaza residents. Netanyahu called the recent deadly Israeli attack in Rafah a 'tragic mistake'; international organizations condemned it. The UN corrected the casualty figures in Gaza; significant exaggeration in the numbers reported by Hamas. The UN: Rebuilding homes in Gaza may take 80 years.