A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe Israel has committed genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, while also documenting alleged war crimes against children in the occupied West Bank.
In a newly published report, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel alleges that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately inflicted death, serious physical injuries and severe psychological harm on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children since the war began in October 2023.
According to the commission, the evidence suggests these actions form part of a deliberate strategy aimed at destroying the future of the Palestinian people by targeting their youngest generation.
The report also states that children have continued to be killed and seriously injured despite the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.
Srinivasan Muralidhar, the chair of the commission, said the scale and systematic nature of Israel’s military operations had resulted in unprecedented levels of death, injury and trauma among Palestinian children.
He argued that the protection of Palestinian children is inseparable from the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, adding that attacks on children undermine the future existence of Palestinian society.
The commission alleges that Palestinian children have been directly targeted by Israeli forces through sniper fire, quadcopter drones and precision weapons aimed at vital organs, while large-scale airstrikes on residential buildings, schools and displacement camps have caused mass casualties among children.
It also accuses Israel of failing to protect Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank from violence by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
The report further alleges that Palestinian children, particularly adolescent boys, have been subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture and ill-treatment in Israeli detention facilities. It also documents alleged incidents of sexual and gender-based violence against children during arrest and imprisonment.
In addition, the commission says repeated attacks on neonatal and paediatric hospitals have devastated access to life-saving healthcare for children in Gaza, while restrictions on humanitarian aid have contributed to severe malnutrition and famine-like conditions affecting thousands of children.
The report argues that widespread destruction of schools, repeated displacement and prolonged closures have systematically disrupted children’s education, damaging the long-term intellectual and social development of Palestinian society.
The commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. While it operates under a UN mandate, it is an independent body and does not formally speak on behalf of the United Nations as a whole.
This is not the first time the commission has accused Israel of genocide. In a report published last year, it concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe Israeli authorities had committed four of the five acts prohibited under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The commission has also previously found that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes and other serious violations of international law during the 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel.
The latest report comes as the humanitarian toll of the conflict continues to rise. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, including over 21,000 children. The ministry’s casualty figures are widely cited by the United Nations, although Israel disputes aspects of the data.
Israel has strongly rejected the commission’s findings.
In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry described the report as a “libellous sham” and “propaganda”, accusing the commission of being fundamentally biased against Israel.
The ministry argued that the report ignored Israeli children who were killed or kidnapped during the Hamas attacks and failed to acknowledge Hamas’ alleged use of Palestinian civilians, including children, as human shields.
Israeli officials also said the commission lacked a credible verification process for its conclusions.
Israel has consistently denied allegations of genocide, maintaining that its military campaign is an act of self-defence aimed at dismantling Hamas, securing the release of hostages and protecting Israeli citizens. Israeli leaders say their armed forces operate in accordance with international law and take measures to minimise civilian casualties.
Separately, the International Court of Justice is continuing to hear South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. The proceedings are expected to take several years before a final judgment is reached. Israel has dismissed the case as politically motivated and based on false allegations.
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