As the Israeli army announced the launch of its assault on Gaza City, the largest urban center of the enclave, a United Nations committee released a 72-page report concluding that Israel is committing genocide.
The independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) cited mass killings, obstruction of humanitarian aid, forced displacement, and widespread destruction as evidence. Its report, focusing on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, was published nearly two years after the Hamas-led attack of October 7.
“Genocide has been committed in Gaza and continues to be committed,” said Navi Pillay, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and head of the panel.
The report is the UN’s strongest finding to date, but the committee is independent and does not represent the organization’s official position.
The COI stressed that responsibility lies with Israel’s highest-ranking authorities, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of pursuing an organized campaign to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.
Analyzing nearly two years of evidence, the panel concluded Israel had committed four of the five crimes that constitute genocide under the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the findings as “false and scandalous,” demanded the COI’s dissolution, and accused its members of bias. Israel’s UN ambassador in Geneva denounced the report as propaganda, alleging it was written by “Hamas representatives.” Israel refused to cooperate with the inquiry, arguing it was politically motivated.
