A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, according to a new report released today.
The report states there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023: killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and preventing births.
Commission cites statements by Israeli leaders as evidence
The commission cited statements by Israeli leaders and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces as evidence of genocidal intent. The three-member expert panel is chaired by Navi Pillay, a South African former UN human rights chief who was president of the international tribunal on Rwanda’s genocide.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
At least 64,905 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Most of the population has also been repeatedly displaced, more than 90 per cent of homes are estimated to be damaged or destroyed, the healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene systems have collapsed, and UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City.
Four genocidal acts identified by commission
The commission’s latest report alleges that Israeli authorities and Israeli forces have committed four of the five acts of genocide defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention against a national, ethnic, racial or religious group – in this case, Palestinians in Gaza.
- Killing members of the group – The commission alleges this occurred through systematic attacks on protected objects including hospitals, schools, and places of worship. It cites the targeting of civilians and other protected persons under international law, as well as the deliberate infliction of conditions designed to cause deaths amongst the Palestinian population in Gaza.
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group – The report documents this through direct military attacks on civilians and protected objects across Gaza’s residential areas. The commission points to severe mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody, mass forced displacement of Gaza’s population, and widespread environmental destruction that has rendered large areas uninhabitable.
- Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the group in whole or in part – The commission alleges this encompasses the systematic destruction of structures and land essential to Palestinian life and survival. It cites the destruction and denial of access to medical services throughout Gaza, repeated forced displacement of civilians, and the blocking of essential aid, water, electricity and fuel from reaching Palestinian populations. The report also references what it terms “reproductive violence” and documents specific conditions that disproportionately impact children.
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births – The commission points specifically to the December 2023 attack on Gaza’s largest fertility clinic, which reportedly destroyed around 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm samples and unfertilised eggs. The report suggests this action was designed to prevent future Palestinian births and constitutes a deliberate measure to limit population growth.
According to the BBC, Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the report, denouncing it as “distorted and false”. A spokesperson accused the three experts on the commission of serving as “Hamas proxies” and relying “entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others”.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
A UN body has said Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 16, 2025
Sky's @adamparsons said its report was "extremely critical" of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza.https://t.co/gFl1d56LIT
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