A United Nations commission of inquiry has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, alleging that Israeli political and military leaders have carried out four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law since the war with Hamas erupted in October 2023.
The 72-page report from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concludes there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel has engaged in killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions intended to destroy the group, and imposing measures to prevent births.
Citing statements by Israeli leaders and what it described as a consistent pattern of military conduct, the panel said these actions demonstrated “genocidal intent.”
Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the findings, calling the report “distorted and false.” An Israeli military official described it as “baseless,” insisting that “no other country has operated in these conditions and done so much to prevent harm to civilians on the battlefield.”
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the unprecedented Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry—whose figures the UN considers credible—at least 64,964 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since then.
More than 90% of homes in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, while the healthcare, water, sanitation and food systems have collapsed. UN-backed food security experts have declared a famine in Gaza City, and much of the population has been repeatedly displaced.
The commission, created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, is led by South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former UN human rights chief who previously presided over the tribunal on Rwanda’s genocide. She is joined by Australian human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti and Indian housing rights expert Miloon Kothari.
The panel previously found that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes on October 7, while Israeli security forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Its latest report, described by the panel as “the strongest and most authoritative UN finding to date” on the war, alleges that Israeli leaders including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant “incited the commission of genocide” through their statements.
“As early as 7 October 2023, Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed to inflict… ‘mighty vengeance’ on ‘all of the places where Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble’,” Pillay said. “His use of the phrase ‘wicked city’ in the same statement implied that he saw the whole city of Gaza as responsible and a target for vengeance.”
Gallant said days after the attack that Israel was “fighting human animals, and we act accordingly.” Herzog meanwhile stated that “it’s an entire nation out there that is responsible” for the Hamas-led attack.
The report asserts that “genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference” from Israel’s conduct, citing alleged intentional killing and serious harm to civilians, widespread destruction of religious and cultural sites, siege tactics that starved the population, and the December 2023 attack on Gaza’s largest fertility clinic, which reportedly destroyed about 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm and egg samples.
Pillay said the panel first established the facts and then assessed intent: “We went to the facts first… So we looked at statements made by the Israeli authorities indicating genocidal intent. And we looked at the pattern of conduct of Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces to show that genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference.”
Israel’s leaders have repeatedly said their operations are conducted in self-defense to defeat Hamas, secure the release of hostages and protect Israeli civilians. They insist the military acts in accordance with international law and takes steps to reduce civilian harm.
The commission concluded that the alleged acts of Israeli leaders are “attributable to the State of Israel,” making the state “responsible for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide.” It warned that all other countries have an immediate legal obligation under the Genocide Convention to “prevent and punish the crime of genocide,” and risk complicity if they fail to act.
In its response, the Israeli foreign ministry accused the three commissioners of acting as “Hamas proxies.” “The report relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others. These fabrications have already been thoroughly debunked,” it said. “In stark contrast to the lies in the report, Hamas is the party that attempted genocide in Israel—murdering 1,200 people, raping women, burning families alive, and openly declaring its goal of killing every Jew.”
President Herzog said the report misinterpreted his words, while Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Daniel Meron, denounced it as a “libellous rant” and said Israel “categorically rejects” the findings.
All three commission members have submitted their resignations to the UN Human Rights Council, citing age, health, and other commitments. The Israeli government has called for the commission to be dissolved rather than reconstituted.
The UN says it cannot make a legal determination of genocide, noting that only a competent national or international court can do so. The International Court of Justice is currently hearing a genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa, though a ruling could take years. Israel has called the case “wholly unfounded” and based on “biased and false claims.”
UN human rights chief Volker Türk said it is for the court to decide whether genocide has occurred but acknowledged that “we see the evidence mounting.” A UK government spokesperson echoed that view, saying the determination was for a court to make but that “this does not take away from our position that Israel’s actions are appalling.”
A number of international and Israeli human rights groups, independent UN experts and legal scholars have also accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
