Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestinian territory as genocide continues in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says

NEW YORK – Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity such as extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, intentionally targeting Palestinian civilians while it continues to commit genocide in Gaza, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said today in a new report.

The report to the UN General Assembly, which focuses on killings and physical and mental harm committed by state actors, reveals that the situation in the West Bank has seriously deteriorated since October 7, 2023. The number of deaths caused by airstrikes in the West Bank has increased significantly: six Palestinians were killed by airstrikes in the West Bank between 2008 and October 6 2023, while 254 Palestinians were killed by airstrikes between October 7. 2023 and September 30, 2026. The Commission concluded that Palestinians in the West Bank are targeted on the basis of their nationality, race and ethnicity, gender and age.

In Gaza, the report reveals that Israeli authorities and forces continue to commit acts of genocide even after the so-called ceasefire agreement, with the aim of destroying the Palestinian people, in whole or in part.

“The intentional killings and injuries of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of homes in the West Bank, combined with Israel’s continued denial of responsibility, are part of a broader strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians and impose unlivable living conditions,” said Commission Chairman Srinivasan Muralidhar. “Meanwhile, Israel’s expansion of territorial control over Gaza continues to result in killings and injuries among Palestinian civilians who approach or cross the Yellow Line. »

In the West Bank, the report reveals that Israel – through military operations reinforced by sustained settler violence – has carried out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians since October 7, 2023. The behavior of Israeli authorities during this period indicates that they intended the military operations and settler violence to be part of a coordinated attack against Palestinians.

Torture, reproductive violence, rape and other forms of sexual violence are part of a broader attack against the civilian population in the West Bank. Sexual violence has been used with the intent to displace, subjugate and destabilize the Palestinian people.

Israeli forces have also deliberately killed and inflicted serious physical and mental injury on children in the West Bank – as they did in Gaza – by committing age-based persecution against Palestinian children.

As part of a broader investigation into the root causes of recurring tensions and protracted conflict, the report outlines the main drivers of Israeli violence and concludes that Israel has sought to expand its territory and displace Palestinians through violence since the 1947-48 war. Military operations since January 2025 have resulted in the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, with 34,176 Palestinians still displaced as of August 2026.

“Seizing as much land as possible while minimizing the Palestinian population in terms of size, autonomy and viability stems from Israel’s settler policies and is rooted in historical practices and patterns of action, resulting in the excessive and discriminatory application of lethal force, displacing, injuring and killing Palestinians over generations,” Muralidhar said. “Attempting to equate the creation of a Palestinian state with a threat to Israel’s existence blocks any viable attempt to realize the Palestinian right to self-determination. »

The Palestinian Authority, according to the report, has targeted Palestinians who express dissenting views. Journalists and human rights defenders have been killed and injured, increasingly reducing civic space.

“Despite an increase in unnecessary or disproportionate use of force since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Authority has failed to conduct effective and impartial investigations into the killings and has failed to ensure effective remedies, including financial compensation to victims and their family members,” Muralidhar said.

The Commission makes several recommendations to the States concerned and to the international community. Israel should comply with the July 2024 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, immediately end the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and expel all settlers and settlements. Essentially, Israel should end and reverse the confiscation and appropriation of Palestinian property as well as the reservation of Palestinian land for military purposes and return all confiscated land to its Palestinian owners. The Palestinian Authority must stop targeting human rights defenders, conduct independent investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, and provide reparations for the harm suffered by victims who have been unjustly killed and injured by Palestinian security forces.

END

Read the full report.

Background: The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Territories

The Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 27, 2021 to “investigate, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law up to and since April 13, 2021.” Resolution A/HRC/RES/S-30/1 further requested the Commission of Inquiry “to investigate all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions, instability and protracted conflicts, including systematic discrimination and repression based on national, ethnic, racial or religious identity.”

For media inquiries, please contact: Todd Pitman, media advisor to the investigative bodies of the UN Human Rights Council: (email protected)/ +41766911761; or Pascal Sim, media officer of the Human Rights Council: (email protected).

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