In a new report released on Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Commission urged Israel and all states to fulfill their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible for it.
Genocide is widely regarded as one of the most egregious international crimes, alongside war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
For the last two years, the Commission has been investigating events since October 7, 2023, and has concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed four of the five acts defined as genocide in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
These genocidal acts include killing; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of a group; and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
According to the report, explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities, as well as the pattern of conduct of Israeli security forces, indicate that these acts were committed with the intent to destroy Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group, in whole or in part.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission.
“It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
She added that Israeli authorities at the highest echelons are responsible for these atrocity crimes, as they have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for nearly two years with the intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.
“The Commission also finds that Israel has failed to prevent and punish the commission of genocide, through failure to investigate genocidal acts and to prosecute alleged perpetrators,” Pillay said.
The report is based on the commission's previous investigations and factual and legal findings regarding attacks in Gaza carried out by Israeli forces and the conduct and statements of Israeli authorities from October 7, 2023, to July 31, 2025.
To establish these genocidal acts, the Commission examined Israeli military operations in Gaza, including the killing and serious harm of an unprecedented number of Palestinians, the imposition of a total siege (including the blocking of humanitarian aid, which led to starvation), and the systematic destruction of Gaza's healthcare and education systems.
The Commission also examined the systematic perpetration of sexual and gender-based violence, the direct targeting of children, the carrying out of systematic and widespread attacks on religious and cultural sites, and the disregard of orders placed on Israel by the International Court of Justice to prevent genocide.
To establish genocidal intent, the Commission applied the standard set forth by the International Court of Justice in the case of Bosnia versus Serbia. The Commission analyzed statements made by Israeli authorities and concluded that these statements directly evidence genocidal intent.
In addition, the Commission analyzed the pattern of conduct of the Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza, including the imposition of starvation and inhumane living conditions on the Palestinian population, and concluded that genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference to be drawn from the nature of their operations.
“Israel has flagrantly disregarded the orders for provisional measures from the International Court of Justice and warnings from member states, UN offices, human rights organizations and civil society groups, and continued the strategy of destruction of the Palestinians in Gaza,” Pillay said.
This report follows findings by leading international and Israeli human rights organizations, human rights experts, and genocide scholars that Israel's actions in Gaza amount to genocide against the population of Gaza.
Prior to Tuesday's report, they determined that the Israeli government was deliberately inflicting living conditions intended to destroy a group or part of a group, as defined in the Genocide Convention.
Meanwhile, the Commission finds that the Israeli authorities had no intention of changing their course of action.
“On the contrary, Israeli authorities have persisted and continued with their genocidal campaign in Gaza for almost two years now. Israel must immediately end the genocide in Gaza and comply fully with the orders for provisional measures of the International Court of Justice,” Pillay added.
The report holds the State of Israel responsible for failing to prevent or punish genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Specifically, it names Israeli leaders, including President Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and former Defense Minister Gallant, for inciting genocide.
So far, Israeli authorities have failed to take action against them.
The Commission calls on Israel to immediately comply with its international legal obligations, lift the siege on Gaza, allow humanitarian aid, and remove restrictions on UN staff and agencies. It also urges UN Member States to stop transferring arms to Israel, prevent involvement in genocide, and pursue accountability through investigations and legal action, particularly against individuals or corporations involved in genocide, either directly or indirectly.
The Commission demands that Israel end its policy of starvation and immediately cease the activities of the Gaza “Humanitarian” Foundation.
“The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity,” Pillay said.
“Every day of inaction costs lives and erodes the credibility of the international community. All states are under a legal obligation to use all means that are reasonably available to them to stop the genocide in Gaza.”
Humanitarian catastrophe continues to deteriorate
The report comes as Israel’s latest military assault escalates the situation in the Gaza Strip, where a man-made famine has been confirmed. More than two million civilians are facing a catastrophe that continues to get worse.
For nearly two years, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been subjected to an unrelenting escalation of atrocities perpetrated by Israeli officials, with little to no reprieve, justice, or protection. The cumulative impact of hunger and physical deprivation means people are dying every day.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed, nearly 90 percent of Gaza has been designated as Israeli military zones or forced displacement areas, and there is clear evidence that the Israeli government is committing mass atrocities, including genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, recently denounced Israel’s commission of “war crime upon war crime” and expressed horror at senior Israeli officials’ open use of genocidal rhetoric.
In a speech before the UN Human Rights Council, TĂĽrk condemned the mass killing and starvation of Palestinian civilians, as well as the obstruction of lifesaving aid. He decried the international community's lack of action and asked, "Where are the decisive steps to prevent genocide?"
According to health officials in Gaza, Israeli forces have killed over 65,000 Palestinians — most of whom were children, women, and elderly individuals — and injured more than 165,000 others in attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. Among the reported dead are over 20,000 children.
However, the true death toll is expected to be much higher. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble. Additionally, it is estimated that thousands have died from indirect causes, including starvation, lack of medical care, dehydration, and lack of shelter.
Meanwhile, aid workers are hindered by the Israeli authorities' denial, delay, or obstruction of humanitarian convoys. Israel continues to deliberately obstruct humanitarian operations and impede movement of aid into and within Gaza.
On Wednesday, leaders of over 20 major international aid agencies operating in Gaza urged world leaders to intervene immediately after the UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that genocide is being committed.
The signatories include the heads of the Danish Refugee Council, Handicap International - Humanity & Inclusion, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies, Islamic Relief, Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Save the Children.
“What we are witnessing in Gaza is not only an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, but what the UN Commission of Inquiry has now concluded is a genocide. With this finding, the Commission joins a growing number of human rights organizations and leaders globally, and within Israel,” the statement said.
“The inhumanity of the situation in Gaza is unconscionable. As humanitarian leaders, we have borne direct witness to the horrifying deaths and suffering of the people of Gaza. Our warnings have gone unheeded and thousands more lives are still at stake.”
According to the leaders of the major aid groups, they have been denied access, and the militarization of the aid system has proven deadly. They say that thousands of people have been shot at while trying to reach the few sites where food is distributed under armed guard.
They say states must use every available political, economic, and legal tool at their disposal to intervene.
"Rhetoric and half measures are not enough. This moment demands decisive action," their statement said.
Further information
Full text: Legal analysis of the conduct of Israel in Gaza pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (A/HRC/60/CRP.3), report to the UN Human Rights Council, UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, published September 16, 2025
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-crp-3.pdf
Full text: Gaza: Leaders of major aid groups call on world leaders to intervene following UN genocide conclusion, joined statement by the leaders of over 20 major aid agencies working in Gaza, published September 17, 2025
https://islamic-relief.org/news/gaza-leaders-of-major-aid-groups-call-on-world-leaders-to-intervene-following-un-genocide-conclusion/