Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, as well as war crimes in the occupied West Bank, according to a new report released on Tuesday by an independent United Nations inquiry.
The report, prepared by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, examined alleged violations against Palestinian children since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023. It found that children accounted for around 30 per cent of those killed in the conflict.
UN report alleges deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza
The commission said Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed during the war, including after a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025. According to the report, this formed a key part of what it described as evidence of genocidal intent by Israeli authorities and security forces to destroy the Palestinian group, in whole or in part, in Gaza.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, the commission’s chair, in a statement accompanying the report.
A previous report by the commission, released in September, had also concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza and accused senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of inciting such acts. Israel rejected those allegations at the time, calling them scandalous.
Child deaths and military tactics highlighted in latest findings
According to the report, at least 20,179 children were killed between October 7, 2023 and October 7, 2025, representing roughly 30 per cent of the overall death toll. The commission noted that this figure was higher than in previous Gaza conflicts, where children made up about 24 per cent of conflict-related fatalities during the 2008–09 and 2014 hostilities.
The inquiry said Israeli forces continued using high-payload munitions and weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas despite rising child casualties. “This indicates that such attacks, which killed children in such high numbers, were intentional,” the report stated. It further argued that children were targeted collectively because Israeli security forces viewed the civilian population as being associated with Hamas and other armed groups.
Muralidhar said that by targeting children, Israel was undermining the ability of the Palestinian people to survive and determine their future.
Israel rejects allegations, points to humanitarian and security concerns
The report also said conditions in Gaza, including widespread attacks, repeated displacement and shortages of aid, food and medicine, had severely affected children’s health and development, causing preventable deaths and long-term trauma. It added that attacks on healthcare and reproductive facilities affected newborn survival rates, contributed to rising miscarriages and left nearly all children in Gaza in need of psychological support.
Israel’s mission in Geneva strongly rejected the findings. “Israel dismisses this libelous sham,” it said in a statement, adding that “every child deserves protection” and arguing that the report ignored “the brutal tactics of Hamas.”
Rise in violence by Israeli settlers in West Bank
In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the commission reported a rise in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children and documented alleged torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during arrests and detention. It said children, especially boys, faced forced stripping, beatings and food deprivation, concluding that such treatment amounted to crimes against humanity.
Israel responded that the report failed to acknowledge the “constant terrorist threat” faced by its security forces. It also said the inquiry ignored Israel’s role in facilitating vaccinations, allowing medical personnel into Gaza and supporting field hospitals, while accusing Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid and fuel, an allegation Hamas has denied.
(with inputs from Reuters)
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Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
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