UN Commission: Israel Continues 'Genocidal Acts' in Gaza Despite Ceasefire, Accuses Military of War Crimes in West Bank

Despite a year-old ceasefire, Israel persists in committing atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza, according to UN investigators. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry stated on Monday that Israel is "continuing to commit genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza." The commission also accused the Israeli military of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied West Bank.

Since the ceasefire began in October 2025, Israeli forces have reportedly expanded their territorial control in Gaza from 53 percent to at least 60 percent. During this period, Israeli fire along the advancing front has resulted in the deaths of at least 196 Palestinians, including 43 children. Commission chairman Srinivasan Muralidhar noted, "Israel’s expansion of territorial control in Gaza continues to result in the killing and harming of Palestinian civilians who approach or cross the Yellow Line." The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that over 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the year since the ceasefire.

The report, submitted to the UN General Assembly, detailed that Israeli military operations, combined with settler violence, constitute a widespread and systematic attack on Palestinian civilians. Investigators found that Israeli air strikes killed 254 Palestinians in the West Bank between October 2023 and September 2026, a stark increase from the six deaths recorded between 2008 and October 2023. The commission also documented the displacement of over 34,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, labeling it the largest displacement in the territory since 1967.

The commission further accused Israeli authorities of committing crimes against humanity in the occupied West Bank, including extermination, persecution, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. The report stated, "The targeting of Palestinian civilians across different locations in the West Bank indicates a high level of co-ordination and organised planning and is the product of state policy."

These findings emerge amidst increasing international scrutiny of Israel's military operations and conduct in the occupied Palestinian territories. The three-member commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, investigates alleged breaches of international law. Its findings could potentially be used as evidence in future international criminal proceedings, though the commission itself lacks prosecutorial power. Navi Pillay, who led the investigation until November 2025, is a former South African High Court judge and a recent Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Israel has rejected the commission's findings, with its mission in Geneva calling for the commission's dissolution and accusing it of a "misinformation campaign to demonise the state of Israel and portray its very existence as criminal." Israel has consistently challenged the commission's reports and denied allegations of genocide in Gaza and sexual violence by its forces.