Gaza Conflict: UN Panel Finds Genocide Continued After Truce
A new report details 74,000 deaths and expanding military control in the enclave since last October, while Israel calls the findings a campaign of misinformation.
By Julia Novak ·
A United Nations commission concluded on Monday that Israel continued to commit genocide in Gaza following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire last October. The report, issued by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, covers the period from the start of the war on October 7, 2023, through September of this year. The panel stated that Israeli authorities maintained genocidal intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, in whole or in part, even during the truce.
The commission documented specific violations against Palestinian children and accused Israeli soldiers and prison guards of war crimes in the West Bank. These charges include extermination, torture, and sexual violence. The report noted six recent cases where Israeli guards subjected male detainees from Gaza to sexual violence at the Sde Teiman military prison. This finding builds on a previous report from September last year, which found that top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited genocidal acts.
Israel rejected the new findings, labeling them part of a broader misinformation campaign. Daniel Meron, the Israeli ambassador in Geneva, said the report aimed to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and deny its right to defend itself. He described the effort as an attempt to destroy the Jewish state. The Israeli mission argued that the commission's work serves to demonize the country rather than reflect objective facts.
The panel also examined military tactics used in Gaza after the truce. It found that Israeli forces continued using heavy munitions, drones, artillery, and sniper fire in densely populated areas. The report criticized the "Yellow Line," a demarcation presented as temporary, for encroaching into Gaza. The commission said this shift reflected an expansion of Israel’s territorial control over the enclave.
Palestinian authorities report that more than 74,000 people have been killed since the initial assault began on October 7, 2023. That attack started after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel. The UN report also detailed a sharp deterioration in the West Bank. Palestinians killed in airstrikes rose from six between 2008 and October 2023 to 254 between October 2023 and September 2026.
Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the killing of civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank fit a strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians. Military operations since January 2025 caused the largest displacement in the region since 1967. As of August 2026, 34,176 Palestinians remained displaced. The commission also criticized the Palestinian Authority for targeting dissenting voices, journalists, and human rights defenders.
