UN Report Accuses Israel of Genocide for Deliberately Targeting Children in Gaza

An international investigative commission mandated by the United Nations has accused Israel of continuing a campaign of genocide by deliberately targeting children in the Gaza Strip. The report, compiled by the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry, analyzed violations against Palestinian children since the war began.

According to the findings, approximately 30% of individuals killed by Israeli forces in Gaza have been children. The commission's previous report in September concluded that Israel had committed acts of genocide and that Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited such actions. Netanyahu is also facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes.

Israel's mission in Geneva has vehemently rejected the commission's conclusions, labeling them a "defamatory farce." This stance aligns with Israel's consistent denial of genocide accusations, despite significant diplomatic backing from allies like the United States and the United Kingdom. Numerous international law and human rights experts, including UN investigators and organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have previously concluded that Israel's actions indicate an intent to destroy the Palestinian population in Gaza, either in whole or in part.

The UN report specifically highlights that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed, even after a ceasefire took effect in October 2025. The commission's president, Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated that evidence indicates these attacks, which resulted in a high number of child casualties, were intentional. Investigators noted that Israeli security forces continued to use high-explosive munitions and wide-area weapons in densely populated residential areas, despite the escalating child death toll, suggesting a collective targeting of minors due to the perception of the civilian population being associated with Hamas and other militant groups.