United Nations investigators on Tuesday accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza with the intent to “destroy the Palestinians,” directly implicating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in incitement.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry (COI), which monitors rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, said its findings showed that “genocide is occurring in Gaza and is continuing to occur.”
“The responsibility lies with the State of Israel,” commission chief Navi Pillay told AFP.
The report, published nearly two years after the war began in October 2023, concluded that Israeli authorities and forces had carried out four of the five genocidal acts listed in the 1948 Genocide Convention:
killing members of the group,
causing serious bodily or mental harm,
deliberately inflicting conditions of life aimed at destruction, and
imposing measures to prevent births.
Nearly 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the conflict erupted, according to figures from Gaza’s health ministry, which the UN considers reliable. Most Gazans have been displaced at least once, with the UN declaring a famine as Israeli forces intensify their push into Gaza City.
Incitement at the Top
The commission said statements from Israeli civilian and military leaders, coupled with the conduct of operations, indicated intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza “as a group.”
It specifically named President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant as having “incited the commission of genocide,” accusing authorities of failing to act against such rhetoric.
“The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons,” Pillay said.
Although the COI is not a legal body, its reports can influence international diplomacy and serve as evidence in judicial proceedings. Pillay confirmed that the commission is cooperating with the International Criminal Court (ICC), sharing thousands of documents for possible prosecutions.
International Response and Legal Action
Pillay urged world leaders not to remain silent. “The absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity,” she warned.
Israel has strongly rejected genocide allegations. The UN itself has not officially labeled the situation a genocide, though several of its senior officials have raised concerns. In May, the UN aid chief called on global powers to act “to prevent genocide,” while the UN rights chief last week condemned Israeli “genocidal rhetoric.”
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January 2024 ordered Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide. Months later, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
That move triggered backlash from the United States. The Trump administration last month sanctioned two ICC judges and two prosecutors, freezing their U.S. assets and barring them from entering the country.
