The United Nations has added the Israeli military to its annual "list of shame," highlighting offenders committing deadly violations against children. This decision, made by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was officially communicated to Gilad Erdan, Israel's UN envoy, on Friday.

The "list of shame" is part of a report on children and armed conflicts submitted annually by the UN chief to the UN Security Council. The report documents atrocities such as killing and maiming children, sexual abuse, abduction or recruitment of children, denial of aid access, and targeting of schools and hospitals.

In response, Erdan labeled the Israeli army as “the most moral army in the world.” Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, indicated that this decision could affect the regime's relations with the United Nations.

This development comes amidst the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has been particularly devastating since October 7 of last year. The military actions have resulted in the deaths of at least 36,731 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with over 15,517 children killed. Furthermore, more than 17,000 Gazan children have lost one or both parents, and around 3,500 are suffering from widespread malnutrition caused by the conflict.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has urged the UN to blacklist Israel for its continuous killing of Palestinian children, describing the Israeli regime as committing "the most heinous crimes and horrific massacres" against innocent children.

The comprehensive UN report, compiled by Virginia Gamba, Guterres' special representative for children and armed conflict, is scheduled to be presented to the Security Council on June 14.