In brief
The United Nations commission of inquiry has released a report stating that Israel’s military operations in Gaza have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, constituting genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The findings confirm that about 30% of the 73,035 deaths in Gaza since the 2023 Hamas assault were children, and that attacks continued even after the October 2025 ceasefire. Israel’s foreign ministry has rejected the report as “libellous” and “propaganda,” while the Israeli army maintains that all operations were lawful self–defence actions. The commission’s statement highlights the systematic use of precision weapons against civilians and describes the psychological and physical harm inflicted on children across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
The United Nations Human Rights Council’s commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory has issued a report alleging that Israeli forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, constituting genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. The report, published on 23 June 2026, cites evidence that since the start of the 2023 Hamas‑led assault on Israel, 73,035 people have been killed in Gaza, including 21,280 children, and that attacks have continued after the ceasefire agreed in October 2025.
Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar described the operations as “intensely systematic” and said that children “continue to be killed and seriously injured” with “disregard for the ceasefire.” He emphasised that the protection of children is essential to the Palestinian people’s right to self‑determination.
The UN inquiry claims that Israeli forces used precision weapons, such as quadcopter drones and snipers, against residential buildings, schools and displacement camps crowded with children. It also alleges that Israel’s attacks on hospitals in Gaza have systematically removed life‑sustaining care for children. The report further documents arrests, torture, ill‑treatment and sexual and gender‑based violence against children in detention centres, and asserts that starvation has been used as a method of warfare.
Israel’s foreign ministry and military have dismissed the findings, calling the report “libellous” and a “propaganda piece.” They argue that their operations are lawful self‑defence aimed at defeating Hamas and securing hostages. The Israeli government also rejected an earlier 2025 report accusing it of genocide.
The International Court of Justice is currently hearing a case from South Africa alleging Israeli genocide, but a verdict is unlikely for years. In the meantime, the UN commission’s accusations remain the most comprehensive account of the systematic targeting of Palestinian children in the Gaza war.
