A newly-released report by an independent United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, and that top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have incited these acts.
Chaired by former ICC judge and U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, the commission, mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council, found that Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023 meet at least four of the five acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention. These include killing members of the protected group; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about “physical destruction” in whole or in part; and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
The inquiry cites evidence of large-scale civilian deaths, extensive forced displacement, and blocked delivery of humanitarian aid, alongside severe damage to essential infrastructure—including destruction of a fertility clinic. Statements made by senior Israeli leaders were also identified as “direct evidence” of genocidal intent. For example, Netanyahu’s rhetoric referring to military operations as akin to a “holy war of total annihilation” was singled out.
The commission’s report emphasizes that many of the attacks have disproportionally hit civilians, schools, hospitals, residential neighborhoods, and refugee displacement zones. It claims that evacuation orders issued by Israel have often been insufficient, confusing, or not given adequate time for safe movement, worsening the danger to non-combatants.
In response, Israel dismissed the findings as “scandalous,” politically motivated, and false. Israeli officials have rejected accusations of genocide and incitement, saying the country is defending itself against the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and that the inquiry fails to acknowledge the role of Hamas and its actions.
Although the commission itself does not have legally binding power, its findings add weight to ongoing legal cases—among them at the International Court of Justice, where South Africa filed a case accusing Israel of genocide. The report calls on states to suspend arms transfers that may facilitate genocidal acts and urges legal accountability for those responsible.
The timing of the report amplifies international scrutiny, arriving as Israel has launched a ground offensive in Gaza City amid a severe humanitarian crisis. Observers warn that without meaningful action following such findings, civilian suffering is likely to worsen, and international confidence in conflict-resolution mechanisms may erode.
