AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has cited a recent United Nations inquiry report alleging that more than 20,000 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, and called for accountability over Israel’s military campaign in the territory.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, June 24, Owaisi accused Israel of killing thousands of children, imposing famine on civilians and displacing Palestinians from large parts of the occupied territory.
“Israel will have to answer for these crimes. If not today, then soon,” Owaisi wrote while sharing remarks from Justice S. Muralidhar, chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
The post referred to findings presented by the commission in Geneva, where Muralidhar said Israeli forces had killed more than 20,000 Palestinian children and injured over 44,000 others since October 7, 2023.
According to the commission’s latest report, children account for nearly 30 per cent of all deaths recorded in the occupied Palestinian territory during the period under review.
The inquiry alleged that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted during Israeli military operations and said its findings further supported the commission’s earlier conclusion that genocide had been committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
The report also documented widespread displacement, destruction of educational and healthcare facilities, and long-term psychological harm suffered by children during the conflict.
Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations of genocide and war crimes, describing previous findings by UN investigators as politically motivated and lacking credibility.
The latest report is expected to add to growing international scrutiny of the humanitarian impact of the Gaza war, which began after the October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel and the subsequent Israeli military offensive in the enclave.
