'Israel' committing genocide in Gaza, UN Commission declares

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
16 Sep 2025 11:58
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A UN commission’s findings detail mass killings and destruction in Gaza, urging governments to act swiftly to stop further atrocities and protect Palestinians.

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Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, center, attends a press conference by international activists seeking to deliver aid to Gaza on a flotilla, in Tunis, Tunisia, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP)

A United Nations commission has for the first time concluded that "Israel" is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, accusing the entity’s top leadership of incitement to genocide in what it described as the “most authoritative UN finding to date.”

At a Geneva press briefing, the UN commission, responding to a question from Al Mayadeen’s envoy, emphasized that a formal trial is necessary to substantiate that "Israel" is committing a genocide in Gaza. The commission also stressed that all states are legally obligated to use every available means to halt the ongoing atrocities.

At a Geneva press conference, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories #FrancescaAlbanese warned that "Israel’s" genocidal war on Gaza is destroying whole neighborhoods using never-before-seen "unconventional" and "newly assembled weapons" to make parts of… pic.twitter.com/xdeX3AKtJv
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) September 16, 2025

In a 72-page report released Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry found that "Israel" had carried out “four genocidal acts” since October 7, 2023. These included mass killings, inflicting “serious bodily and mental harm,” deliberately creating conditions of life aimed at destroying Palestinians “in whole or in part,” and measures intended to prevent births.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, nearly 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the genocide began, most of them women and children.

"Israel" dismissed the findings, calling them “false and distorted.”

The Trump administration has consistently supported "Israel", pulling the US out of the council during Trump’s first and second terms.

Growing international condemnation

The inquiry documented widespread killings of civilians, including children, medics, journalists, and aid workers, in both safe zones and protected sites such as hospitals, schools, and religious buildings.

The January 2024 killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family was highlighted as evidence of Israeli occupation forces knowingly targeting civilians. “They shot at and killed civilians, some of whom (including children) were holding makeshift white flags,” the report said.

According to the commission, Israeli forces also used wide-impact munitions despite knowing the high civilian toll, targeting Palestinians “collectively due to their identity as Palestinians.”

Starvation as a weapon

The report accused "Israel" of weaponizing deprivation by cutting off food, water, fuel, electricity, and medical supplies. After imposing an 11-week blockade in March, "Israel" allowed limited aid to resume under the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, where hundreds of starved Palestinians were killed while seeking relief.

In August, famine was formally declared in Gaza City and surrounding areas, affecting more than half a million people. The UN commission described limited aid entry as a “facade” meant to mask an ongoing strategy of starvation.

The inquiry said "Israel’s" conduct toward children showed intent to “physically destroy” Palestinians by erasing both the current and future generations. Malnutrition has delayed children’s cognitive and language development, while restrictions on infant formula have led to the starvation of newborns.

“The essence of childhood has been destroyed in Gaza,” a doctor quoted in the report said.

Sexualized violence

The commission also found that Israeli occupation forces had committed sexual and gender-based violence, including “rape, sexualized torture and other forms of sexual violence” as part of collective punishment. Testimonies described detainees being beaten in their genitals until unconscious, while soldiers reportedly shared videos online that dehumanized Palestinians.

The report directly implicated Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant, saying they incited genocide as early as October 7, 2023. Their actions, it concluded, reflect “the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

A press release accompanying the report urged states to act, saying, “The genocide in Gaza is unfolding in real time. The world must act now to stop the killing, to protect the Palestinian people, and to uphold its obligations to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.”