An independent UN commission concludes that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
The commission has investigated events since October 7, 2023, and finds that Israeli authorities have fulfilled four of five criteria for genocide under the Genocide Convention.
These acts include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting living conditions calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
— The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention, says Navi Pillay, the commission’s chair.
According to the commission, statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities, together with the actions of Israeli security forces, show that the genocidal acts have been committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group.
— The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza, continues Pillay.
The commission also finds that Israel has failed to prevent and punish genocide by not investigating genocidal acts and prosecuting suspected perpetrators.
Extensive evidence base
The report is based on the commission’s previous investigations as well as facts and legal findings related to Israeli forces’ attacks in Gaza and Israeli authorities’ actions from October 7, 2023, to July 31, 2025.
To establish genocidal acts, the commission examined Israeli military operations in Gaza, including the killing and serious injuring of an unprecedented number of Palestinians, total siege and blockade of humanitarian aid leading to starvation, systematic destruction of health and education systems, systematic sexual and gender-based violence, direct attacks on children, systematic attacks on religious and cultural sites, and disregard for International Court of Justice orders.
To establish genocidal intent, the commission applied the “only reasonable inference” standard established by the International Court of Justice in the Bosnia v. Serbia case. The commission analyzed statements by Israeli authorities and concluded that these constitute direct evidence of genocidal intent.
By analyzing the actions of Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza, including the imposition of starvation and inhumane living conditions on Palestinians, the commission found that genocidal intent was the only reasonable conclusion that could be drawn from the nature of the operations.
— Israel has flagrantly disregarded the orders for provisional measures from the International Court of Justice and warnings from Member States, UN offices, human rights organisations and civil society groups, and continued the strategy of destruction of the Palestinians in Gaza, says Pillay.
— The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities had no intention to change their course of actions. On the contrary, Israeli authorities have persisted and continued with their genocidal campaign in Gaza for almost two years now, she continues.
Names Netanyahu and Herzog
The commission states that the State of Israel bears responsibility for failing to prevent genocide, for committing genocide, and for failing to punish the perpetrators of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The report specifically mentions that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have incited genocide and that Israeli authorities failed to take action against them to punish this incitement.
The commission urges Israel to immediately cease the genocide in Gaza and fully implement the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures orders. Israel must end its starvation policy, lift the siege, and ensure unimpeded access for large-scale humanitarian aid.
Demands on the international community
The commission recommends that member states stop the transfer of weapons and other equipment that could be used for genocidal acts to Israel, ensure that individuals and companies within their territories do not contribute to genocide or incitement to genocide, and take accountability measures through investigations and legal proceedings against individuals or companies directly or indirectly involved in the genocide.
— The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity, says Pillay.
— Every day of inaction costs lives and erodes the credibility of the international community. All States are under a legal obligation to use all means that are reasonably available to them to stop the genocide in Gaza, she concludes.
