A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, stating there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the outbreak of war with Hamas in 2023.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry, chaired by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, cited evidence of killings, serious bodily and mental harm, deliberate infliction of life-destroying conditions, and measures preventing births. The report points to Israeli leaders’ statements and the conduct of Israeli forces as proof of genocidal intent, specifically naming President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as figures who “incited the commission of genocide.”
The commission’s findings detail mass killings through heavy munitions, systematic destruction of religious, cultural and educational sites, and a siege that has deprived Gaza’s population of food, water, electricity, fuel, and medical care. It also referenced the December 2023 attack on Gaza’s largest fertility clinic, which destroyed thousands of embryos and sperm samples, as evidence of reproductive violence.
Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the report as “distorted and false,” accusing the three-member panel of serving as “Hamas proxies” and relying on “falsehoods” that had been “thoroughly debunked.” A spokesperson 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.”
The inquiry says genocidal intent is “the only reasonable inference” that can be drawn from Israel’s actions. Pillay stated that Netanyahu’s vow of “mighty vengeance” against Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attack revealed the targeting of an entire city. “His use of the phrase ‘wicked city’ implied he saw the whole city as responsible and a target for vengeance,” she said.
Since the war began, at least 64,905 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Over 90% of homes have been damaged or destroyed, healthcare and sanitation systems have collapsed, and UN experts have declared famine in Gaza City.
The commission stressed that under the 1948 Genocide Convention, Israel “bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide, and the failure to punish genocide.” It also warned that other states have a binding duty to act or risk complicity. “We have not gone so far as to name parties as co-conspirators, or being complicit in genocide. But that is the ongoing work of this commission. They will get there,” Pillay said.
Israel insists its operations are directed at Hamas and not civilians, arguing its forces comply with international law. But the inquiry’s findings add to mounting accusations from international human rights organisations, UN experts, and scholars. The International Court of Justice is separately considering a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide a claim Israel calls “wholly unfounded.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on: