UN committee condemns Israel for violating treaty

GENEVA: On Thursday a United Nations (UN) committee condemned Israel for violating a global treaty protecting children’s rights. The condemnation was underscored by the recent pager blasts which exploded across Lebanon and killed two children.

Israel argued earlier this month that the treaty did not apply to the war in Gaza and that their actions were in line with respecting international humanitarian law.

Today’s committee issued a document which stated that they condemned “the severe violations of rights under the convention in the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories), including the tremendous loss of life as a result of the state party’s military actions.”

The statement was made in reference to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which Israel’s military actions had a “catastrophic” impact.

Nearly 16,500 Palestinian children have been killed since October 2023.

Lebanon’s health minister stated that the death toll from Wednesday’s blasts in Lebanon rose to 25.

Nine-year-old Fatima Abdullah was one of the victims of the pager attacks in Lebanon.  Her funeral was held on Wednesday in the village of Saraain, where Fatima’s mother and dozens of others gathered to mourn.

Read more: 48 Palestinians perish in latest Israeli strikes