Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, an independent UN inquiry has found. The report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war and said about 30% of those killed by Israeli forces have been children.
A previous report in September found Israel had committed genocide and that Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts. Netanyahu is separately wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Israel rejected the commission's 'libellous sham', receiving diplomatic support from allies including the US and UK.
The commission said Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed, including after a ceasefire in October 2025. 'This indicates that such attacks, which killed children in such high numbers, were intentional,' it stated. The commission's chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, said by targeting children, Israel undermined the capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and determine their future.
Conditions imposed by Israel, including widespread attacks, repeated displacement, and starvation caused by its blockade of aid, food and medicine, severely harmed children's health and development, resulting in preventable deaths and trauma. The inquiry also found attacks on healthcare and reproductive facilities affected newborns' survival and nearly all children in Gaza needed psychological support.
In the occupied West Bank, the commission documented a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children and evidence of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during mass arrests and detention. It concluded the treatment constituted crimes against humanity.
