A team of independent experts from the United Nations has accused Israel of deliberately targeting children in Gaza, reiterating claims that the country has committed genocide during its ongoing conflict with Hamas. This allegation is presented in a report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which operates under the U.N. Human Rights Council. The report asserts that approximately 30% of the more than 20,000 Palestinians killed from October 2023 to October 2025 were children, with many others reportedly missing or buried in unmarked graves.
Israel has categorically denied these accusations of genocide, labeling them as unfounded. The Israeli Foreign Ministry criticized the report as a “libelous sham,” claiming that the assertions made within it lack verification. Officials also condemned the commission, stating it is a biased entity aimed at vilifying Israel rather than uncovering the truth.
The report highlights the significant toll that the conflict has inflicted on children in Gaza, categorizing these impacts as war crimes and genocide—claims that the commission initially raised in September. Srinivasan Muralidhar, the chair of the commission, stated that even after a ceasefire declared in October 2025, children continue to be killed, attributed to Israel's disregard for the ceasefire and international legal obligations to protect Palestinian children.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 1,027 individuals have died since the ceasefire agreement in October 2025, including 258 children. A recent Israeli drone strike resulted in the death of 12-year-old Ahmed Mohsen al-Reqeb in southern Gaza, with healthcare officials confirming the incident. The Israeli military claimed the strike was aimed at a "Hamas terrorist," without providing further details.
The commission's report specifies particular divisions within the Israeli military that operated in areas where children, including infants, were killed. It details the types of munitions used, focusing on cases where children were reportedly killed by quadcopter drones and sniper fire, often from single gunshots. Autopsies reviewed by the commission suggested a high degree of precision in these killings, indicating that shots were likely aimed with intention rather than being incidental or part of indiscriminate fire.
The report also documents instances of children being killed after the ceasefire, including those gathering firewood near areas demarcated as under Israeli military control. The commission criticized Israeli security forces for characterizing the killed children as "suspects," thus shifting responsibility away from Israeli actions to the Palestinian children, framing them instead as "terrorists" rather than victims.
Israel has reacted to the commission's findings by accusing its members of antisemitism and accusing them of acting as proxies for Hamas. Accusations of genocide are particularly sensitive in Israel due to the historical context of its founding following the Holocaust.
While neither the commission nor the U.N. Human Rights Council has the authority to impose penalties, their findings could potentially be used in legal proceedings by the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the U.N. International Court of Justice, which is currently reviewing an ongoing genocide case against Israel brought forth by South Africa. The ICC has previously issued warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity regarding the use of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza. Although Israel does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, these warrants could impede the international travel of the implicated individuals.
The current hostilities trace back to the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and 251 hostages. Israel's subsequent military operations in Gaza have reportedly killed over 73,000 Palestinians, including the fatalities post-ceasefire, as recorded by Gaza's Health Ministry, known for its reliable data collection practices, even though it does not differentiate between civilian and militant casualties. It has indicated that women and children represent about half of all deaths recorded.
