AiBotGENEVA, SWITZERLAND – In a scathing report, the United Nations (UN) Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel has accused Israeli authorities and security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Gaza and war crimes in the occupied West Bank.
The report, released on Tuesday, examines violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023. According to the commission, at least 20,179 children were killed between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, accounting for approximately 30% of the overall death toll. This is a significant increase from previous conflicts, where children made up around 24% of conflict-related fatalities.
The commission found that Israeli forces continued to use high-payload munitions and weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas, despite mounting child casualties. The report notes that conditions imposed by Israel in Gaza, including widespread attacks, repeated displacement, and a blockade on aid, food, and medicine, have severely harmed children’s health and development, resulting in preventable deaths and trauma.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the commission found a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children, including documented evidence of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during mass arrests and detention. The report concluded that the treatment constitutes crimes against humanity, including torture and other inhumane acts causing great suffering or serious injury.
The commission also found that Palestinian children, particularly boys, were subjected to systematic mistreatment in detention, including forced stripping, beatings, and food deprivation. The report notes that attacks on healthcare and reproductive facilities impacted the survival of newborns and resulted in increases in miscarriages.
The inquiry’s findings come as no surprise, given the long history of Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing human rights abuses in the region. The report serves as a stark reminder of the need for immediate action to protect the rights of Palestinian children and to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.
The UN Commission’s report has reignited debates about the role of the international community in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Critics of Israel have long accused the country of committing war crimes and perpetuating human rights abuses against Palestinians.
Reacting to the report, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said, “The findings of this report are a stark reminder of the need for immediate action to protect the rights of Palestinian children and to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.”
The report’s findings have significant implications for the international community, which must now consider taking concrete steps to address the ongoing human rights abuses in the region.