Gaza Herald- A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has confirmed that Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, in one of the strongest international condemnations of the occupation’s actions to date.
The commission stressed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with other senior officials, directly incited the perpetration of genocide against Palestinians. It added that responsibility for these crimes extends beyond Herzog and Netanyahu to include Energy Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, all of whom the commission identified as bearing principal responsibility for what it classified as international crimes.
Israel Found Guilty of Four Acts of Genocide
In a detailed report published on Tuesday, the UN commission concluded that the Israeli government had “demonstrated a clear and consistent intent to impose permanent control over the Gaza Strip and to maintain a Jewish majority in the occupied West Bank and within Israel itself.”
The report, presented on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, stated that Israel’s overarching goal is to ensure a permanent Jewish demographic majority in all of the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and even within Israel’s 1948 borders.
It confirmed that Tel Aviv had committed four distinct acts of genocide in Gaza, carried out by Israeli leaders and security forces with the explicit objective of eradicating Palestinians. “The actions of Israeli leaders are attributable to the State of Israel,” the report stated. “Israel therefore bears responsibility for committing genocide, for failing to prevent it, and for refusing to punish it.”
Systematic Destruction and Expansion of Control
The commission reported that Israeli authorities are carrying out widespread and systematic destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure while simultaneously expanding areas under their control. By July 2025, it revealed, Israel had seized control of 75 percent of the Gaza Strip.
The report underscored that Israel’s policies are designed not only to displace Palestinians but also to deprive them of the basic resources necessary for survival. It pointed to ongoing military operations in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps in the West Bank, which destroyed homes and infrastructure and displaced entire communities. The commission deemed these acts militarily unjustified and tantamount to collective punishment.
Deliberate Starvation and Collective Punishment
According to the UN body, Israel’s systematic destruction of civilian facilities and its forced displacement of residents have deliberately deprived Palestinians in Gaza of the essentials of life. “These actions have created intentionally unbearable living conditions designed to eliminate the Palestinian people in Gaza, in whole or in part. These acts constitute the foundation of genocide,” the report stressed.
The commission also noted that since October 2023, Israel has consistently supported violent settler activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, including the forced displacement of Palestinian families, expansion of settlements, and moves toward the annexation of the entire West Bank.
Blocking Palestinian Statehood
The report concluded that these practices are “clear indicators” of Israel’s determination to obstruct Palestinian self-determination, prevent any viable state-building efforts, and prolong its military occupation indefinitely.
