UN Rapporteur Compares Gaza Child Deaths to Nazi-Era Arguments

UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has compared the killing of Palestinian children in Gaza with arguments used by Nazi officials during the Holocaust.

Albanese made the remarks in a post on X after responding to comments by Israeli model Sarai Givaty during an interview with Hebrew-language i24NEWS.

Givaty said she was saddened by children suffering around the world but argued that a child could grow up to become a terrorist if action was not taken. Albanese responded that the idea that children would eventually become threats had also been used by Nazi officials during the Nuremberg trials to justify the killing of children during the Holocaust.

Albanese has been a prominent critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and has faced significant political criticism over her reports and statements. In July 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on her, citing her efforts related to International Criminal Court proceedings involving US and Israeli officials, companies and executives. Washington had previously called for her dismissal and accused her of antisemitism.

The Gaza government media office said in August that more than 21,500 children had been killed since the war began in October 2023. The figure and casualty reporting from Gaza remain part of the wider dispute over the scale and circumstances of civilian deaths during the conflict.