A United Nations-appointed investigative body has accused Israel of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, citing widespread civilian killings, deliberate deprivation, and a systematic campaign of destruction that meets legal criteria under international law.
The findings, published in a damning 72-page report on Tuesday, stem from an inquiry led by Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, alongside human rights experts Miloon Kothari and Chris Sidoti. The team was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate violations stemming from the conflict in Gaza that erupted following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The commission concluded that Israel committed four of the five acts defined as genocide in the 1948 Genocide Convention. These include the killing of group members, infliction of serious bodily or mental harm, conditions intended to bring about destruction, and measures aimed at preventing births.
“It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Pillay, adding that both the actus reus (the criminal act) and mens rea (criminal intent) for genocide had been established.
According to the report, Israeli military operations were carried out with full awareness that they would result in mass civilian casualties. It alleged that airstrikes, the destruction of infrastructure, and the ongoing blockade on essential supplies such as food, medicine, and clean water were part of a deliberate strategy to inflict maximum harm.
Between October 2023 and July 2025, more than 60,000 Palestinians were killed, the Commission reported, including over 18,000 children. A sharp decline in life expectancy—from 75.5 years to 40.5 years—was also recorded within the first year of the war.
The commission emphasized that Israeli actions extended beyond the battlefield. It documented severe impacts on Gaza’s civilian population, including the destruction of healthcare and education systems, widespread displacement, and targeted attacks on residential areas, shelters, and even “safe zones.”
It also recorded incidents of sexual violence, torture, and abuse by Israeli forces, describing them as tools of humiliation and group degradation, sometimes even showcased on social media by perpetrators.
One particularly alarming trend noted by the Commission was the direct targeting of women and children. Between March 18 and April 9, 2025, OHCHR documented 224 Israeli strikes on civilian shelters and tents, with women and children making up the total number of casualties in at least 36 of those attacks.
In addition to extensive loss of life, the report highlighted environmental devastation. More than 170,000 structures were damaged or destroyed, according to satellite data. The resulting debris, estimated at over 50 million tonnes, poses long-term ecological and health risks, and could take decades to clear.
The Israeli government categorically rejected the UN’s findings, dismissing the report as politically biased and accusing the commission members of acting as proxies for Hamas. Israel’s foreign ministry labeled the report “fake” and described the investigators as “notorious for their antisemitic positions.”
However, the Commission insisted that its findings are based on extensive documentation, satellite imagery, forensic evidence, witness interviews, and public statements by Israeli officials that it said reveal a “pattern of intent” to destroy Gaza’s Palestinian population as a group.
The report points to inflammatory rhetoric from senior Israeli leaders, calling for vengeance, annihilation, and collective punishment. These statements, paired with on-the-ground military conduct, formed what the commission called the “only reasonable inference” of genocidal intent.
The investigators also warned of humanitarian manipulation, citing the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, established in May 2025. The commission reported that over 1,300 Palestinians were killed while trying to access food aid—many of them near aid distribution points.
The panel called for an immediate ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, and full compliance with previous International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders. It also urged the international community to halt arms transfers to Israel and impose sanctions on officials found to be complicit in the commission of genocide.
Moreover, the commission recommended that the International Criminal Court (ICC) expand its ongoing investigation into the situation in Palestine to include charges of genocide, and amend arrest warrants where appropriate to hold Israeli leadership accountable.
The findings echo previous warnings from the International Association of Genocide Scholars, which has also concluded that Israeli actions in Gaza meet the legal threshold for genocide under the 1948 Convention.
In closing, Pillay warned that failure to act in the face of overwhelming evidence would make the international community complicit. “When clear signs of genocide emerge, silence is not neutrality—it is complicity,” she said.
