The United Nations Human Rights Office said that nearly 70 per cent of the fatalities in the Gaza war were women and children. It condemned it as a systematic violation of the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law. Overall, 44 per cent of the victims were children, with the biggest single category aged five to nine.

United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk has condemned the killing of civilians in Gaza after the report came out. The report warned that widespread or systematic attacks on civilians could amount to crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, Israel’s diplomatic mission to the U.N. in Geneva said it categorically rejected the report.