For the first time ever, an independent United Nations (UN) inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
In its 72-page report released Tuesday, the commission, which was set up by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), noted that Israel’s top leaders have incited genocide, calling it the “most authoritative UN finding to date”.
According to the report, Israel has “committed four genocidal acts” in the enclave since October 7, 2023.
The report stated these acts include the killing of Palestinians in Gaza, causing Palestinians “serious bodily and mental harm”, “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”, and “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group”.
Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, as more than 65,000 Palestinians, including children, have been killed while thousands of others are still buried under the rubble.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) destroyed most buildings in the territory and forced nearly all its residents to flee their homes at least once. A global hunger monitor relied on by the UN warned that parts of the territory are now suffering a manmade famine.
Giving several examples of Palestinian civilians, journalists, healthcare professionals and humanitarian workers being “directly targeted and killed” in Gaza, the commission said that these killings occurred in places including homes, hospitals, schools and religious buildings, both within and without designated safe zones.
Citing the January 2024 killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family members, the report said that it is an example of Israeli security forces proceeding to kill civilians despite having “clear knowledge of the presence of Palestinian civilians along the evacuation routes and within the safe areas”.
“They shot at and killed civilians, some of whom (including children) were holding makeshift white flags,” the report said, adding that some children, including toddlers, were shot in the head by snipers.
“The victims of the bombing were not singled out or targeted as individual civilians. On the contrary, victims were targeted collectively due to their identity as Palestinians.”
The report also underscored that the extensive and deliberate targeting of Palestinian children was evidence that offensives were not being conducted solely to defeat Hamas but to “physically destroy Palestinians by eliminating not only today’s children but the possibility of them having children”.