UN Commission Says Israel Committed Genocide in Gaza
A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and accused senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of inciting such acts. Israel dismissed the findings as «scandalous», Reuters reports.
The 72-page report highlights widespread killings, restrictions on aid, forced displacement and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including a fertility clinic.
«Genocide is occurring in Gaza,» said Navi Pillay, head of the inquiry and a former International Criminal Court judge.
She claimed the campaign had been orchestrated by Israel’s leadership with the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, branded the report «fake» and claimed it was produced by «Hamas proxies». Israel has refused to cooperate with the inquiry, accusing it of political bias.
Although the commission operates independently and does not speak on behalf of the UN, its conclusions are the strongest yet. The UN itself has not formally used the term genocide, though pressure is increasing.
Netanyahu and Officials Accused of Incitement
The inquiry found Israel had committed four of the five acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention: mass killing, causing serious harm, creating life-threatening conditions and imposing measures to prevent births. Evidence was drawn from witness interviews, medical testimonies, satellite imagery and verified open-source data.
The commission also cited statements by Netanyahu and other officials as «direct evidence of genocidal intent». These included Netanyahu’s 2023 letter to soldiers likening the Gaza campaign to a biblical «holy war of total annihilation». Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former defence minister Yoav Gallant were also named.
Pillay compared the situation to the Rwandan genocide of 1994, arguing that dehumanising rhetoric towards Palestinians mirrored that used in Rwanda. She urged states to reconsider their positions in light of the findings.
Israel is already facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which it rejects, citing its right to self-defence after the Hamas attacks of October 2023 that killed 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages. The Gaza Health Ministry says over 64,000 people have since been killed, with parts of the territory suffering famine.
Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan backed the UN declaration calling for the creation of a Palestinian state while condemning the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.
