A United Nations commission of inquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza by deliberately targeting Palestinian children, alleging that Israeli military actions amount to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Israel has strongly rejected the findings, describing the report as politically motivated and factually flawed, reports BBC News.
The report was issued by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, a three-member expert panel established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Although created by the Council, the commission operates independently and does not formally speak on behalf of the United Nations.
According to the commission, there are reasonable grounds to conclude that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately inflicted death and severe physical and psychological harm on large numbers of Palestinian children in Gaza. It argues that these actions form part of a strategy aimed at destroying the future of the Palestinian people by targeting their youngest generation.
The report alleges that children have been killed through the use of snipers, quadcopter drones and precision weapons, as well as in air strikes on residential buildings, schools and displacement camps where civilians were sheltering. It also accuses Israel of failing to protect Palestinian children in the West Bank from attacks by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
In addition, the commission claims that Palestinian children, particularly teenage boys, have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment in Israeli detention facilities. It also documents allegations of sexual and gender-based violence against children during arrest and detention.
The report further argues that Israeli military operations have severely damaged Gaza’s healthcare system, including attacks on neonatal and paediatric hospitals that have undermined children’s access to life-saving treatment. It also accuses Israel of using starvation as a method of warfare by restricting humanitarian aid, leading to widespread malnutrition among children.
Education is another focus of the report. The commission states that repeated attacks on schools, mass displacement and prolonged school closures have disrupted children’s education and weakened the social and intellectual foundations of Palestinian society.
The commission notes that the alleged violations have continued despite the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in October 2025 as part of a US-backed initiative to end the conflict. It says more than 1,000 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, have reportedly been killed since the truce came into effect, while Israel says four of its soldiers have also died during ceasefire violations.
The report follows an earlier commission finding, published in September 2025, which also concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe that several acts defined as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention had been committed. The commission has previously concluded that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes and other serious violations of international law during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, while also finding that Israeli forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry rejected the latest report in its entirety, describing it as a „libellous sham” and accusing the commission of seeking to vilify Israel rather than establish the facts. The ministry argued that the report ignored the killing and kidnapping of Israeli children during the Hamas attacks and failed to address Hamas’s use of civilians, including children, as human shields. It also questioned the commission’s methodology and said its allegations lacked credible verification.
Israeli leaders continue to reject accusations of genocide, maintaining that military operations in Gaza have been conducted in self-defence following the October 7 attacks, with the objectives of dismantling Hamas, securing the release of hostages and minimising civilian casualties wherever possible.
Separately, the International Court of Justice is considering a case brought by South Africa alleging that Israel has violated the Genocide Convention during the war in Gaza. That case remains ongoing and is expected to take several years before a final judgment is reached. Israel has rejected the proceedings, describing the allegations as unfounded and based on biased claims.
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