A UN independent international commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip by deliberately targeting Palestinian children. The report, mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council, states that these actions are aimed at destroying the larger Palestinian group in Gaza and undermining the capacity of the Palestinian people to exist.
The inquiry found that the systematic nature and intense scale of Israeli military operations resulted in unprecedented death, injury, and trauma. The report documents killings, detentions, and lasting psychological harm, noting that approximately 30% of those killed by Israeli forces were children. The Gaza Health Ministry further reported that since a ceasefire began in October 2025, more than 1,000 people died, 265 of whom were children.
The commission identified specific Israeli security force units as being responsible for the deaths of children. Israel has rejected the accusations, with the Foreign Ministry and its U.N. mission calling the findings a "libelous sham" and a "defamatory advocacy report." Israel characterized the commission as a "fundamentally flawed mechanism" and stated that it strives to minimize harm to children.