A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, accusing its leadership and armed forces of carrying out four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law.
The findings were published in a 72-page report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, established in 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council.
The panel, chaired by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, also includes Australian lawyer Chris Sidoti and Indian housing rights expert Miloon Kothari.
According to the report, Israel’s actions since the outbreak of war with Hamas on 7 October 2023—when militants launched a deadly attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage—amount to genocide.
The commission says Israel committed mass killings, inflicted serious physical and psychological harm, deliberately created conditions of life aimed at destroying the group, and imposed measures to prevent births.
Among the evidence cited are Israeli airstrikes that killed tens of thousands of civilians, forced displacements, the destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, the blocking of humanitarian aid, and an attack that destroyed thousands of embryos and sperm samples in Gaza’s largest fertility clinic.
Statements made by Israeli leaders, the commission argues, reveal intent. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to exact “mighty vengeance” on Gaza, calling it a “wicked city.”
Former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described Palestinians as “human animals,” while President Isaac Herzog declared that “an entire nation” bore responsibility for Hamas’ assault.
Pillay said such rhetoric, coupled with the conduct of Israeli forces, left “genocidal intent as the only reasonable inference.”
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Since October 2023, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry has reported more than 64,000 deaths from Israeli attacks.
More than 90% of homes are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed, and UN experts have confirmed famine in Gaza City.
Health, water, and sanitation systems have collapsed under the strain of Israel’s military campaign and blockade.
Israel, however, has strongly rejected the report. Its foreign ministry denounced the findings as “distorted and false,” accusing the commission of acting as “Hamas proxies” and relying on misinformation.
Israeli officials insist that military operations in Gaza are lawful acts of self-defence aimed at defeating Hamas and securing the release of hostages.
An Israeli military spokesperson argued: “No other country has operated in these conditions and done so much to prevent harm to civilians on the battlefield.”
The commission stressed that under the 1948 Genocide Convention, other states have a duty to act to prevent and punish genocide, warning that failure to do so could render them complicit.
While the commission itself does not speak officially for the UN, it described the findings as “the strongest and most authoritative UN assessment to date” regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is separately hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel. That case, still ongoing, could carry binding international legal consequences.
News Express
