A United Nations report has accused Israel of carrying out “genocidal acts” against Palestinians during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, an allegation Israel has firmly denied and rejected.
The report, published by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, alleges a broad range of violations against Palestinian civilians since 7 October 2023. Among the most serious claims, it asserts that Israeli authorities have “destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of the Palestinians in Gaza as a group” by systematically targeting women’s healthcare facilities and “imposing measures intended to prevent births”—which constitutes one of the categories of genocidal acts outlined in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention.
Additionally, the report highlights a surge in maternity deaths due to restricted access to medical supplies, arguing that this amounts to the crime against humanity of extermination.
Allegations of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
The UN commission also accuses Israel of subjecting Palestinian men and boys to degrading treatment, including acts of a sexual nature such as forced public nudity and stripping. The report further alleges that male detainees suffered “attacks targeting their sexual and reproductive organs, including violence to their genitals.”
The commission states that these acts of “sexualised torture” were either explicitly ordered or implicitly encouraged by Israel’s top civilian and military leadership.
“The evidence collected by the commission reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence,” said its chair, Navi Pillay. “There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination.”
Israeli Rejection of the Report
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the report as biased and antisemitic, stating that it unfairly targets Israel while ignoring the crimes of Hamas.
“Instead of focusing on the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Hamas terrorist organisation, the United Nations once again chooses to attack the state of Israel with false accusations,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israel’s permanent mission to the UN in Geneva also rejected the allegations as lacking credibility. “The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) has concrete directives and policies which unequivocally prohibit such misconduct,” it stated, adding that its review processes adhere to international standards.
Legal Proceedings and International Response
The UN commission’s findings come amid ongoing legal scrutiny over Israel’s actions in Gaza. South Africa has brought a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January 2024 ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide during its war against Hamas.
Israel is a party to the Genocide Convention but is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which grants the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over cases of genocide and crimes against humanity. However, in November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and senior Hamas commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri over alleged war crimes.
A previous UN commission report in June 2023 also accused Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups of serious rights violations during their 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, including torture and degrading treatment.
As the conflict continues, international calls for accountability and justice are intensifying, with both sides facing mounting legal and diplomatic pressure.
