Faith Nyasuguta
A United Nations commission has released one of its strongest reports yet on the war in Gaza, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian children in actions it says amount to genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The findings, published by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, paint a devastating picture of the impact the conflict has had on Palestinian children since October 7, 2023.
According to the Commission, more than 20,000 Palestinian children have been killed and over 44,000 injured during the period under review, with children accounting for roughly 30 percent of all reported deaths in Gaza. Investigators argue that the scale of child casualties, combined with the nature of Israeli military operations, points to what they describe as a deliberate strategy rather than accidental civilian harm.
The nearly 100-page report, titled “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”, concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have inflicted severe physical and psychological harm on Palestinian children through repeated military operations, destruction of essential infrastructure and conditions that threaten children’s survival and development.
Among its findings, the Commission says Israeli attacks repeatedly struck schools, hospitals, neonatal units, orphanages and other facilities essential to children’s wellbeing. It also documents alleged cases in which children were shot by quadcopter drones and examines the humanitarian consequences of prolonged military operations, including widespread displacement, malnutrition, interrupted education and long-term psychological trauma.
The report goes beyond Gaza. Investigators say Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank have also faced arbitrary arrests, torture, degrading treatment and allegations of sexual and gender-based violence while in detention. It also highlights a rise in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children.
One of the report’s strongest conclusions is that the alleged targeting of children forms part of what the Commission considers evidence of genocidal intent.
It argues that children represent the future continuity of the Palestinian people and that widespread attacks affecting them go beyond battlefield consequences, instead striking at the survival of the group itself. The Commission therefore recommends greater international accountability, sanctions where appropriate and stronger enforcement of international law.
The Commission also identified several Israeli military units it believes may bear responsibility for specific incidents involving the deaths or injuries of Palestinian children and called for independent investigations into those cases.
Israel has categorically rejected the findings.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as a “libelous sham” and a politically motivated document that it says distorts reality while ignoring Hamas’ conduct during the conflict. Israeli officials argue that the military is operating in self-defence following the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and maintains that it takes measures to minimise civilian casualties in accordance with international law.
Israeli authorities also accuse Hamas of embedding fighters and military infrastructure within civilian areas and of using civilians, including children, as human shields—practices they say complicate military operations in Gaza. The government argues that the UN report fails to give sufficient weight to these factors.
The Commission’s latest findings are likely to intensify already fierce international debate over the war.
Supporters of the report say it provides further evidence that accountability is urgently needed for the humanitarian consequences of the conflict. Critics, including Israel, maintain that the Commission has reached predetermined conclusions and overlooked the realities of urban warfare against an armed group operating within densely populated civilian areas.
The report adds fresh pressure on the international community as calls grow for a lasting ceasefire, increased humanitarian access and independent investigations into alleged violations committed by all parties to the conflict.
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