A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, holding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials responsible for inciting such acts.
The commission’s 72-page report cited mass killings, aid blockages, forced displacement, and the destruction of a fertility clinic as evidence of crimes meeting the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
“Genocide is occurring in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, chair of the commission and a former International Criminal Court judge. She asserted that Israel’s leadership had orchestrated a campaign aimed at destroying the Palestinian population in Gaza.
The commission determined that Israel had committed four of the five acts outlined in the convention: mass killing; causing serious bodily and mental harm; creating conditions to destroy a group; and imposing measures to prevent births. Evidence was gathered through victim and witness interviews, medical testimony, verified documents, and satellite imagery.
Israel rejected the report, with its ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, calling it “scandalous” and “fake,” authored by “Hamas proxies.” He accused the commission of bias and dismissed its findings as libellous. Israel declined to cooperate with the inquiry and maintained its actions in Gaza are self-defence.
The war has already killed more than 64,000 people, with global monitors warning of famine conditions in parts of Gaza. The commission further noted that Israeli leaders’ rhetoric, including a letter Netanyahu sent to soldiers comparing the war to a “holy war of total annihilation,” reflected genocidal intent and contributed to dehumanizing Palestinians.
While the commission is independent and does not speak on behalf of the UN, its report represents the strongest finding yet on Israel’s conduct. Meanwhile, Israel continues to face genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
