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Israel Violated Global Child Rights Treaty in Gaza, UN Committee Says

Children mourn Palestinian Ismail Nofal, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp for displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File
Children mourn Palestinian Ismail Nofal, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp for displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File
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Israel Violated Global Child Rights Treaty in Gaza, UN Committee Says

Children mourn Palestinian Ismail Nofal, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp for displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File
Children mourn Palestinian Ismail Nofal, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp for displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File

A UN committee on Thursday accused Israel of "severe" breaches of a global treaty protecting children's rights, saying its military actions in Gaza had a "catastrophic" impact on them and are among the worst violations in recent history.
Over 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign in response to cross-border attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7. Palestinian health authorities said earlier this week that 11,355 of those killed in Gaza are children, based only on fully-documented deaths.
"The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history," Bragi Gudbrandsson, Vice Chair of the Committee, told reporters, Reuters reported.
"I don't think we have seen before, a violation that is so massive, as we’ve seen in Gaza. These are extremely grave violations that we do not often see," he said.
Israel's delegation argued in a series of UN hearings earlier this month that the treaty did not apply in Gaza or the West Bank and said that it was committed to respecting international humanitarian law. It says its military campaign in Gaza is aimed at eliminating the Palestinian enclave's Hamas rulers and that it does not target civilians but that the militants hide among them, which Hamas denies.
The four-member UN Committee monitors countries' compliance with the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child -- a widely-adopted treaty that protects under 18s from violence and other abuses.

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Erdogan Says Türkiye Can ‘Crush’ All Terrorists in Syria

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Erdogan Says Türkiye Can ‘Crush’ All Terrorists in Syria

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday that Türkiye had the power and ability to "crush" all terrorists in Syria, including ISIS and Kurdish militants, while urging all countries to "take their hands off" Syria.

Since last month's fall of Bashar al-Assad, Türkiye has said repeatedly it was time for the Kurdish YPG militia to disband. Ankara considers the group, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist organization.

Ankara has said the new Syrian administration must be given an opportunity to address the YPG presence, but also threatened to mount a new cross-border operation against the militia based in northeast Syria if its demands are not met.

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said the YPG was the biggest problem in Syria now, and added that the group would not be able to escape its inevitable end unless it lays down its arms.

"Regarding fabricated excuses like ISIS, these have no convincing side anymore," Erdogan said, referring to the US position that the YPG was a key partner against ISIS in Syria and that it plays a vital role guarding prison camps where the extremist militants are kept.

"If there is really a fear of the ISIS threat in Syria and the region, the biggest power that has the will and power to resolve this issue is Türkiye," he said.

"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our Syrian siblings, will crush the heads of ISIS, the YPG and other terrorist organizations in a short time."

Türkiye has repeatedly asked its NATO ally the United States to halt support for the SDF, and has said the new administration in Syria had offered to take over the management of the prisons. 

Later on Wednesday , Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara is ready to provide support to the new Syrian administration for the management of ISIS camps in the country.

"As we have always said, we are also ready to provide the necessary assistance to the new administration in the management of ISIS camps and prisons," Fidan said.

Speaking in Ankara following his meeting with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, Fidan also said diplomatic efforts will continue to ensure the removal of sanctions against Syria.