UN panel alleges Israel deliberately targets Palestinian children in Gaza

An independent United Nations International Commission of Inquiry released a report accusing Israeli security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, describing the actions as part of a genocidal intent and constituting crimes against humanity and war crimes in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The report, presented by chair Sreeni Vasan Muraleedharan, notes that children accounted for roughly 30% of all fatalities in the conflict, with at least 20,179 children killed between 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2025. It also criticises the continued use of high‑explosive weapons in densely populated areas and attacks on health facilities, which have severe health and psychological impacts on surviving children.

Israel’s delegation in Geneva rejected the findings, calling the report “defamatory” and insisting that Israeli forces aim to minimise civilian harm, including that to children, and that the accusations ignore Hamas’s tactics.