UN Report Accuses Israel of Targeting Children in Gaza, Claims Genocide Evidence
A UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has accused Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, saying it forms part of an ongoing “genocide” against the Palestinian population. The investigators said there are reasonable grounds to believe Israeli forces have killed and injured children in a systematic pattern aimed at destroying the future of the Palestinian people.
According to the report, more than 20,000 children were killed and over 44,000 injured during the first two years of the Gaza war. The commission said the scale of destruction, including orphanhood, displacement, starvation, and collapse of healthcare and education systems, has effectively “erased childhood” in Gaza.
The inquiry argued that such actions demonstrate genocidal intent, claiming Israel’s military operations are designed to undermine the biological and social continuity of Palestinians. It also listed evidence of specific military units potentially involved and said Israeli soldiers themselves had shared incriminating material publicly.
Israel rejected the report, calling it defamatory and false, and accused the commission of ignoring Hamas tactics, including the use of human shields and attacks on Israeli civilians. Israel maintains its operations are in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which killed about 1,221 people.
The report also referenced UN agency UNICEF data indicating continued child casualties even after a ceasefire period. It further highlighted increasing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank.
The commission concluded that the destruction of healthcare, reproductive systems, and living conditions in Gaza has created long-term demographic and humanitarian consequences for Palestinian children.
