UN Commission Alleges Israel Targeted Children in Gaza with Genocidal Intent

A United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) commission of inquiry has released a report alleging that Israeli forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza, documenting a pattern of acts that it says establishes genocidal intent. The report, issued on June 23, 2025, states that children were not just part of the population but central to the existence and continuity of the Palestinian group, and their targeting constitutes a key element in Israel's genocidal intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel was established in May 2021 by the UNHRC. It is currently chaired by Justice S. Muralidhar of India, a former Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court, along with members Florence Mumba of Zambia and Chris Sidoti of Australia.

The commission cited instances of intentional killing of Palestinian children through airstrikes in populated areas and interviewed medical practitioners who reported a consistent pattern of children with single gunshot wounds inflicted by quadcopters or snipers. The report also highlighted that the October 2025 ceasefire between Israel and Hamas did not stop violence, with increasing killings near the 'yellow line', an Israel-declared security buffer zone in Gaza. Additionally, the report detailed torture of children during arrests and detention, including sexual assault, and alleged that Israeli forces intentionally targeted schools, orphanages, and paediatric hospitals.

The commission urged Israel to halt military operations, return bodies of deceased children, and adjudicate incidents involving children in special courts. Israel dismissed the report as a 'libellous sham' and 'defamatory'. A previous version of the commission, chaired by Navi Pillay of South Africa, reached similar conclusions in September 2025.

Under the UN Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. The report's findings are allegations and have been rejected by Israel.