UN Commission Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza, Citing Targeting of Children
A United Nations commission of inquiry has released a report accusing Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip by deliberately targeting Palestinian children. The report, issued by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, alleges that Israeli authorities and security forces have carried out acts causing death and severe harm to hundreds of thousands of children, and that these acts constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The commission states that the targeting of children continued even after a ceasefire was reached in October 2025. It asserts that there are reasonable grounds to conclude that these actions form part of a deliberate strategy to destroy the future of Palestinians in Gaza by targeting their children.
Israel has strongly rejected the allegations. The Israeli foreign ministry described the report as a "libellous sham" and a "propaganda piece as outrageous as its previous ones."
The conflict began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza. According to the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas but whose figures are considered reliable by the UN, at least 73,035 people have been killed in Israeli attacks, including more than 21,280 children.
The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, does not officially speak for the UN. It previously accused Israel of genocide in September 2024, a charge Israel also rejected. The commission has also concluded that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes on 7 October 2023.
The ceasefire agreed in October 2025 has been repeatedly violated by both sides, according to mutual accusations. Gaza's health ministry says more than 1,020 Palestinians, including 265 children, have been killed since the ceasefire. Israel reports four soldiers killed.
The commission's report details methods used against children, including shooting with precision weapons such as quadcopter drones and snipers, and using high-impact weapons on residential buildings, schools, and displacement camps. It also holds Israel legally responsible for failing to protect children in the West Bank from Israeli soldiers and settlers.
