UN commission of inquiry says Israel committing genocide in Gaza by deliberately targeting children
A UN commission alleges Israel has committed genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes by intentionally targeting Palestinian children. Israel rejects the findings as a 'libellous sham'.
A United Nations commission of inquiry has released a new report accusing Israel of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, as well as war crimes in the occupied West Bank, for deliberately targeting Palestinian children. The report claims that Israeli authorities and security forces have “deliberately carried out acts inflicting death and severe bodily and mental harm on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children.”
The commission says the killings continued even after the October 2025 ceasefire in Gaza, which was brokered as part of US President Donald Trump’s plan. According to the report, there are reasonable grounds to conclude that these acts “form part of a deliberate strategy to destroy the future of the Palestinians in Gaza by targeting their children.”
Israel's foreign ministry strongly rejected the report, calling it a “libellous sham” and a “propaganda piece.” Israel has consistently denied allegations of genocide, insisting that its military operations in Gaza are conducted in self-defence, in accordance with international law, and with all feasible measures to minimise civilian harm.
The report details methods of targeting children, including shootings using precision weapons and quadcopter drones, attacks on residential buildings, schools, and displacement camps, and the systematic dismantling of paediatric healthcare. It also alleges that children in Gaza and the West Bank have been arrested, tortured, and subjected to sexual and gender-based violence in Israeli detention facilities.
Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar stated that the protection and survival of Palestinian children are inseparable from the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. “By targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future,” he said.
The report also accuses Israel of using starvation as a method of war and disrupting children’s education, thereby sabotaging the foundations of Palestinian society. Israel’s foreign ministry responded by accusing the commission of lacking credible verification mechanisms and of ignoring Israeli children who were killed or kidnapped by Hamas.
A separate genocide case brought by South Africa is currently pending at the International Court of Justice, though a final ruling may take years.
