A United Nations inquiry said Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, finding that the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children was central to that conclusion.
The findings were released Tuesday by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The commission examined alleged violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023.
According to the report, at least 20,179 Palestinian children were killed between October 7, 2023 and October 7, 2025, accounting for about 30 percent of all deaths recorded in Gaza.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said. The inquiry said the alleged targeting of children was central to its conclusion that Israel acted with genocidal intent.
The commission cited Israel’s repeated use of heavy munitions in densely populated civilian areas and said attacks continued even after a ceasefire took effect in October 2025. It argued that the pattern of attacks undermined the survival of Palestinians in Gaza and future generations.
The report also pointed to widespread psychological trauma among children, increased mortality linked to restrictions on humanitarian aid, the collapse of healthcare and education services, and alleged torture and abuse of Palestinian children detained in the occupied West Bank.
Israel rejected the findings, calling the report biased and defamatory. Its mission to the United Nations said the commission ignored the context of the war and the actions of Hamas.
The report builds on the commission’s earlier finding that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, an accusation Israel has consistently denied.
