Gaza: A United Nations commission of inquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, citing ‘reasonable grounds’ to conclude that four out of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the war with Hamas began in October 2023.
The commission’s report points to mass killings, severe bodily and mental harm, destruction of essential infrastructure, denial of aid, forced displacement, and measures intended to prevent births as evidence of systematic acts against Palestinians. It also underscores statements by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, which it says amount to incitement to genocide.
The panel, chaired by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, concluded that genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference from the conduct of Israeli forces and authorities in Gaza. The report also warns that states worldwide are obligated under the Genocide Convention to act immediately to prevent and punish such crimes, or risk being complicit.
Israel, however, categorically rejected the findings. The Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as ‘distorted and false,’ accusing the commission of acting as Hamas proxies and relying on misinformation. An Israeli spokesperson insisted that the military campaign is aimed solely at dismantling Hamas, not targeting the civilian population.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with a massive offensive in Gaza, which has since killed at least 64,905 people, according to figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The vast majority of Gaza’s population has been repeatedly displaced, and international agencies have warned of famine, collapsed healthcare systems, and widespread destruction of homes.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, alleges Israel carried out four of the five genocidal acts under the 1948 Genocide Convention, including:
- Killing members of the group through attacks on civilians and protected objects.
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm through direct attacks, mistreatment of detainees, forced displacement, and environmental destruction.
- Inflicting life conditions calculated to destroy the group by blocking aid, destroying healthcare, targeting infrastructure, and starving the population.
- Preventing births through attacks on Gaza’s largest fertility clinic, destroying thousands of embryos and reproductive materials.
The report attributes these acts to the State of Israel and accuses it of failing to prevent, punish, or halt genocide. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is hearing a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. Israel has described the case as ‘wholly unfounded’ and based on ‘biased claims.’
Human rights groups, international experts, and several scholars have also alleged that Israel’s conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide, intensifying global pressure on the international community to act.
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