'Israel is committing genocide in Gaza', says probe launched by United Nations rights body

A United Nations investigative panel has accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, alleging that the country’s military campaign aims to eliminate the Palestinian population. The findings, delivered by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI), place direct blame on Israel’s leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for both incitement and a failure to prevent escalating violence. Speaking to AFP, commission chair Navi Pillay stated that “genocide is happening in Gaza and continues to unfold,” adding, “the responsibility rests squarely with the State of Israel.”

What UN official Navi Pillay said- WATCH

Israel immediately dismissed the report, with its foreign ministry labeling the findings as “distorted and false,” and calling for the disbandment of the commission. The commission was established to examine human rights violations in Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation. Its latest report follows nearly two years of conflict triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed 1,219 people inside Israel—most of them civilians, according to Israeli figures compiled by AFP.

Israel's military response has resulted in the deaths of nearly 65,000 people in Gaza, predominantly civilians, based on casualty figures from the territory’s health ministry—numbers the United Nations deems credible. The vast majority of the enclave's residents have been displaced, many of them multiple times. As Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City, the UN has declared famine conditions in the region.

According to the COI report, Israeli forces and officials have committed four out of the five acts defined as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention. These include killing members of a group, causing them serious physical or mental harm, creating living conditions intended to destroy the group in whole or in part, and preventing births within the group. The report also cited public remarks and military conduct as evidence of an intention to eliminate Palestinians in Gaza as a distinct group. The investigators concluded that Israel's president, prime minister, and former defense minister had engaged in rhetoric that encourages genocide and that the state has taken no action to address or prevent such incitement.

“The highest levels of Israeli leadership bear responsibility for these atrocities,” said Pillay, an 83-year-old former South African judge who previously served as the UN’s human rights chief and presided over the Rwanda genocide tribunal.

While the COI is not a judicial body, its documentation can be used to exert international pressure and assist legal bodies in pursuing accountability. Pillay confirmed that the commission has shared extensive evidence—thousands of documents—with the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Pillay further stressed that global inaction in the face of Israel’s campaign in Gaza equates to complicity. “The world cannot remain silent while a genocidal campaign unfolds,” she said while presenting the commission’s final findings.