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A new detailed investigative report from a specially convened commission of inquiry has presented the strongest conclusions to date regarding events in Gaza.

The commission accuses Israeli authorities of carrying out genocide, stating that its campaign was undertaken “with the purpose to destroy, in whole or in part, an ethnic or community”.

Investigation Origins

Formed four years ago by the UN’s human rights council, the commission is made up of three external authorities and does not speak on behalf of the broader UN system.

Officials from Israel have called the report “scandalous” and “fake”, asserting it was written by “Hamas proxies”.

The Israeli government has refuted the accusations of genocide, referencing its right to self-defence following the offensive by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, primarily non-combatants, and abducted hundreds.

The military engagement in the territory has taken the lives of over 64,000 individuals, mostly civilians, and injured over 160,000 people.

Investigation Outcomes

To be considered extermination under the UN treaty against genocide, a minimum of one of five types of action must have been committed. The panel accuses Israel of carrying out four.

Evidence includes testimonies with survivors, bystanders, and medical professionals, confirmed external reports, journalistic accounts, civil society assessments, and aerial photography.

First Charge: Mass Killing

The panel cites figures indicating that up until 15 July 2025, a significant proportion of Palestinians killed in the region were females and minors.

Israeli forces employed area-effect bombs with a significant inaccuracy in highly crowded areas… The number of explosives employed following 7 October 2023 is unprecedented even in comparison to other international wars.

Palestinians in the territory were struck in their dwellings, at medical facilities, in safe spaces (including educational institutions and places of worship), during evacuations and in designated safe zones.

The commission also emphasized notable cases such as the killing of five children when their vehicle was struck near a petrol station in Gaza City.

Second Charge: Physical and Psychological Damage

This includes the poor handling of prisoners and mass displacement which resulted in severe and irreparable bodily and psychological injury.

Category Three: Deliberate Infliction of Destructive Conditions

The document notes that much of the region has been made virtually uninhabitable, with massive damage of essential services, learning centers, historical landmarks, and holy sites.

Considering the proof in totality, the Commission has determined that officials had knowledge of the significant chance that their campaign… would cause the physical destruction of Palestinians… totally or partly.

Category Four: Imposing Measures to Prevent Births

This section centers on the high proportion of child casualties and the destruction on a reproductive health facility in late 2023, which reportedly ruined thousands of fertility samples.

Purposeful Action

Legal scholars often note that establishing extermination aims is challenging due to the high standard of evidence.

The panel concluded that comments by Israeli leaders constitute “clear proof of genocidal intent”.

Referenced instances include comparisons to historical struggles and official statements that suggest an purpose to destroy the local community.

The lead author of the panel, a previous jurist who once led over an international court for Rwanda, remarked that the evidence supports the determination of genocidal intent.