ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel is responsible for genocide in Gaza, urging the international community to stop the violence and prosecute those accountable.

The report follows a two-year investigation into events since October 7, 2023, focusing on Israeli military operations that resulted in unprecedented civilian casualties, the deliberate starvation of the population, the collapse of health and education systems, and violations of the International Court of Justice's binding orders.

Genocide in Gaza Under Article II: Four Acts Identified

The UN Commission outlined four of the five acts defined as genocide under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute:

I. Killing members of group

Widespread and sustained killings of Palestinian civilians were documented, including strikes on homes, hospitals, and designated "safe zones." Israel’s use of heavy explosive weapons in densely populated areas was found to be knowingly indiscriminate and lethal to civilians, including children.

Mariam Abu Dagga, who freelanced for the Associated Press, and journalist Moaz Abu Taha are seen at the site of an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital shortly before they were killed in a second strike that hit the same location where Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri was killed in the first strike, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in this still image taken from video by Reuters photographer Hatem Khaled, who was wounded shortly afterward while filming the site, August 25, 2025. (Reuters)

II. Causing serious bodily or mental harm

The Commission reported over 146,000 injuries, including thousands of amputations and incidents of torture, mistreatment, and sexual and gender-based violence. The trauma from ongoing displacement and deprivation has had particularly severe psychological impacts on children.

Gaza air strike on a school by Israel — Women hold a child with injuries as Palestinians inspect the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a school that was sheltering displaced people, in Gaza City, September 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)

III. Inflicting conditions of life intended to destroy

The siege on Gaza included widespread destruction of infrastructure, denial of food, water, fuel, and electricity, and the targeting of medical services. These conditions, affecting especially women and children, were found to be deliberately imposed to cause the physical destruction of Palestinians.

Palestinians wait for food at a charity kitchen in Gaza City, Aug. 28, 2025, after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification declared the area officially in famine, with conditions expected to worsen. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa)

IV. Measures to prevent births

The report documents reproductive violence through denial of maternal healthcare, attacks on pregnant women, and conditions causing miscarriages. These are viewed as part of a systematic effort to destroy Palestinian reproductive capacity.

2025-09-10T022726Z_939082202_RC2QOGAABW5D_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-SUMUD-FLOTILLA.JPG — A fire breaks out aboard Alma, a vessel in the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying aid, in Tunisian waters off the coast of Tunisia, Sept. 9, 2025, in this CCTV screengrab. (Global Sumud Flotilla/Handout via Reuters)

V. Forcible transfer of children – not established

The Commission did not find sufficient evidence for the fifth act of genocide, forcible transfer of children, during the reviewed period.

Genocidal intent

Chair Navi Pillay stated: “The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza.”

The UN report emphasized that both the actions on the ground and official statements by Israeli authorities demonstrate intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a group, meeting the legal threshold for genocide.

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