A UN Commission of Inquiry report has alleged that Israel committed genocide and other atrocity crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, including targeting children and essential civilian infrastructure. The report stated that such actions may amount to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law.
Israel has continued to commit genocide and other atrocity crimes against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberately targeting children, according to a new report released by the United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
The report released on Tuesday through the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) alleges that Israeli authorities and security forces intentionally killed Palestinian children and systematically attacked institutions essential to their survival, such as hospitals, maternity facilities, and schools. The Commission concluded that these actions amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes under international law.
The Commission’s Chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, said when presenting the findings,
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,”
The inquiry stated that at least 20,179 Palestinian children were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and October 7, 2025, representing nearly 30% of all Palestinians killed during that time.
It also alleged that child killings continued even after the ceasefire that began in October 2025, describing the pattern as evidence of genocidal intent aimed at the Palestinian population in Gaza. The Commission further said attacks on neonatal and maternity care facilities have had severe long-term consequences for Palestinian families, including effects on newborn survival, higher rates of miscarriages and birth defects, and damage to the community’s reproductive future. The report also accuses Israeli forces of using sexual violence against Palestinian children as part of a broader pattern of oppression.
Beyond Gaza, the Commission examined conditions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and found that Palestinian children have faced unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, and abuse. The report states that Israeli security forces increasingly treated Palestinian children as security threats, resulting in what it described as unlawful use of lethal force.
The Commission highlighted specific incidents in which children were allegedly shot by snipers or killed in drone strikes despite posing no imminent threat, describing these as part of a consistent pattern rather than isolated cases.
Israel rejected the report’s conclusions. Its diplomatic mission in Geneva described the document as “a libellous sham” and accused the Commission of relying on “second-hand, single, uncorroborated sources,” according to Reuters. Israeli authorities have repeatedly denied allegations of genocide, saying that the Israel Defense Forces conduct operations in line with international law while targeting Hamas militants who they say are embedded within civilian areas following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack. Israel also accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
The Commission’s findings are not legally binding, and Israel has repeatedly refused to cooperate with its investigations. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry was created by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 and has a standing mandate to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Unlike temporary fact-finding missions, it continues to monitor developments and report to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.
This is the Commission’s latest report on the conflict and comes after its September 2025 legal analysis, in which it concluded that Israel committed four of the five genocidal acts prohibited under the 1948 Genocide Convention, and that statements by senior Israeli officials indicated genocidal intent.
The new report builds on those findings by focusing on the effects of Israel’s military operations on Palestinian children and reproductive health. It arrives as Israel remains under international legal scrutiny for its conduct in Gaza. Separate proceedings before the International Court of Justice regarding allegations of genocide are still pending, while the International Criminal Court has ongoing investigations into alleged war crimes connected to the conflict. The Commission urged the international community to ensure accountability and take steps to prevent further atrocities against Palestinian civilians, especially children.
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