UN Inquiry Finds Israel Targeted Palestinian Children, Calls It Genocide

An independent United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released a report stating that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The commission concluded that these actions amount to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. About 30 % of all deaths in Gaza were children, with at least 20,179 children killed and more than 44,000 injured between October 2023 and October 2025. The report cites the use of high‑payload munitions, attacks on hospitals, maternity units, schools and orphanages, and a pattern of arrests, torture and sexual abuse. Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the evidence shows intent to destroy the Palestinian group. Israel rejected the findings as defamatory and claimed the report ignored Hamas’s tactics. The UN also warned that humanitarian NGOs are being forced out of the territories, leaving children “increasingly unprotected.”