An independent panel appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, releasing its report on Tuesday. The report called on the international community to take steps to end the genocide and hold those responsible accountable.
This conclusion by the three-member team is the latest accusation against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Human rights advocates have long accused Israel of committing genocide during its war with Hamas, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Israel, however, rejected the report as “distorted and false.”
Background of the Commission
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, established four years ago, has been documenting human rights violations in Gaza since the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Although the commission and the 47-member council cannot take direct action, their findings may be used as evidence in the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The report also incorporates the final conclusions of the team led by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. All three members resigned in July citing personal reasons. Israel has refused to cooperate with the commission, calling it a biased, anti-Israel body. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Trump administration withdrew the United States from the council.
Legal Findings on Genocide
Following legal analysis, the commission found Israel guilty of four out of five acts defined under the international genocide convention. Commission Chair Pillay stated:
“The intent to destroy the Palestinian people in Gaza is clear, and this meets the criteria set out in the Genocide Convention.”
She added that senior Israeli officials bear responsibility for genocide during the nearly two years of war.
The report highlighted that Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and other leaders incited genocide. Israel, a state established after the Holocaust, rejected the genocide accusation as an anti-Semitic “blood libel.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as “a false report by Hamas proxies.”
Evidence Cited in the Report
Experts cited the conduct of Israeli security forces, explicit statements by officials, the high death toll, the imposition of a “total blockade” causing starvation in Gaza, the systematic destruction of the health system, and direct attacks on children as evidence of genocide.
The commission urged other countries to halt arms transfers to Israel and prevent individuals or companies from contributing to genocide.
Call to the International Community
Pillay emphasized:
“The international community cannot remain silent in the face of the genocide campaign initiated in Gaza. Failure to act despite clear evidence amounts to complicity.”
The current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has condemned Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza but has not formally accused it of genocide. According to him, such a formal determination can only be made by the International Court of Justice, which is currently hearing South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
