Israel Is Committing Against Palestinians In Gaza: UN Inquiry

A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, finding that Israeli authorities and security forces have carried out four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention and acted with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.

The report, published on Tuesday, Sept. 16, is the strongest UN finding to date on the matter, urging the international community to act to stop the genocide and hold perpetrators accountable.

The Commission determined that Israel has committed the following acts against the Palestinian population in Gaza: killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's destruction, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. The report found no evidence of the fifth act, forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

The Commission concluded that genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference from the totality of the evidence, citing explicit statements by Israeli leaders and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces. It specifically identified Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as having incited genocide, with the Commission noting that Israeli authorities have failed to take action against them.

The Commission's investigation covered events from October 7, 2023, following the Hamas-led attack on Israel, until July 31, 2025. It examined Israeli military operations, including the imposition of a total siege blocking humanitarian aid, systematic destruction of healthcare and education systems, attacks on religious and cultural sites, and widespread sexual and gender-based violence.

The report also highlighted the destruction of a major fertility clinic, which reportedly destroyed thousands of embryos and sperm samples, as evidence of measures intended to prevent births.

The Commission urged Israel to immediately end the genocide, comply with provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice, lift the siege, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and investigate and punish those responsible. It recommended that all Member States cease arms transfers to Israel if there is suspicion of their use in genocidal acts and take action against individuals or corporations involved in aiding genocide.

Israel rejected the report as "distorted and false," calling it "scandalous," and claimed it relied on Hamas falsehoods. The International Court of Justice is currently hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, while the International Criminal Court is also investigating the situation in the State of Palestine.