A United Nations inquiry has accused Israeli forces of committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity targeting Palestinian children during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The report, issued by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry, states that approximately 30% of the casualties in Gaza since the outbreak of hostilities are children.
The commission alleges that Israeli military operations have deliberately inflicted death and severe physical and psychological harm on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children. It highlights the continued use of high-payload weapons in densely populated areas despite mounting child casualties, suggesting that these attacks were intentional. The report also condemns Israeli strikes on Gaza’s hospitals, asserting that these actions have systematically disrupted access to essential medical care necessary for the survival of children.
Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission, emphasized in a statement that evidence indicates Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces. The investigation first accused Israel of genocide last September, a charge Israel has consistently denied. The latest report asserts that the scale and character of Israeli military operations have persisted, leading to unprecedented levels of death, injury, and trauma among Palestinian children.
The inquiry further concludes there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli authorities and security forces have continued to commit genocide in Gaza. Muralidhar noted that even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to suffer fatalities and serious injuries. The commission criticized what it described as Israel’s disregard for the ceasefire and the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law, stating that such targeting strikes at the Palestinians' very existence.
The report also documents the arrest, torture, and ill-treatment of children in Israeli prisons and detention centers in both Gaza and the West Bank.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Hamas militants embedded themselves within civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and mosques, complicating military operations.
According to UNICEF, at least 265 Palestinian children have died since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect. Palestinian authorities estimate that Israeli military retaliation following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, has resulted in more than 72,800 deaths to date.