UN Commission Accuses Israel of War Crimes, Genocidal Acts in Gaza and West Bank
UN Commission Accuses Israel of War Crimes, Genocidal Acts in Gaza and West Bank
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A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, saying Palestinian civilians have been deliberately targeted.
In a new report submitted to the UN General Assembly on Monday, the commission said Israeli authorities and forces continue to commit genocidal acts in Gaza, even after the ceasefire agreement.
The report comes as UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called for an end to Israel’s military operation in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, where more than 3,000 people were reportedly forcibly displaced during the week, alongside large-scale demolitions of homes and commercial properties. Türk warned that threats to empty entire neighbourhoods raised serious concerns about ethnic cleansing.
According to the commission, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated sharply since 7 October 2023. Six Palestinians were killed in airstrikes there between 2008 and 6 October 2023, compared with 254 killed in airstrikes between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2026. The report said Palestinians were targeted on the basis of nationality, race, ethnicity, gender and age.
The commission also documented killings, serious physical and psychological harm, torture and sexual violence, including reproductive violence, as part of what it described as a widespread and systematic attack against Palestinian civilians. It said military operations and settler violence appeared to form part of a coordinated campaign that has contributed to displacement. As of August 2026, 34,176 Palestinians remained displaced in the West Bank following military operations that began in January 2025, marking the largest displacement there since 1967, according to the report.
Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the killing and injury of civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank, alongside continued Israeli territorial control in Gaza, formed part of a broader pattern of harm and displacement. The report also criticized the Palestinian Authority for targeting dissenting voices and failing to ensure effective, impartial investigations into killings.
The commission called on Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion by ending its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory and removing settlers and settlements. It also urged Israel to reverse the confiscation and appropriation of Palestinian property, return confiscated land to its owners and end the reservation of Palestinian land for military purposes.
