The chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Navi Pillay, told the General Assembly on Wednesday that "Israel" is responsible for four acts of genocide in Gaza, carried out with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian population there, out of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide:

These crimes entail:

• Killing,
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm,
• Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part,
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births.

“The Commission concluded that the State of Israel is responsible for the commission of four genocidal acts in Gaza,” Pillay said. She also noted that the Israeli president, prime minister, and former security minister have “incited the commission of genocide.”

Describing the situation in Gaza as “the most ruthless, prolonged and widespread attack against the Palestinian people in history,” Pillay highlighted the scale of devastation.

Gaza Strip 'rendered nearly uninhabitable'

While the fragile ceasefire and release of captive “offer hope", she emphasized that “they cannot undo the devastation that has already occurred,” adding that the Gaza Strip has been “rendered nearly uninhabitable.”

Pillay further warned that Israeli officials have “publicly endorsed plans for the deportation of the population, the construction of settlements, and annexation of the territory.” Although these policies are temporarily on hold due to the ceasefire, she said, “recent statements by Israeli officials make it clear that these objectives remain firmly in place.”

The Commission also assessed "Israel’s" policies in the occupied West Bank, including the eastern part of al-Quds, since October 2023. Pillay said these policies, combined with explicit and implicit support for Israeli settlers, “demonstrate clear intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians, expand Israeli Jewish civilian presence, and annex the majority of the West Bank,” aiming to “prevent any potential Palestinian self-determination and statehood and maintain an indefinite occupation.”

Calls for justice and accountability

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Pillay urged UN Member States to support the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigations and to use universal jurisdiction to prosecute suspects, including dual nationals.

“It pains me that, on my last presentation as chair of this commission, the post-World War Two multilateral system has failed to prevent this genocide,” she said, lamenting that “the international system has been found wanting.”

She concluded by calling for “truth and reconciliation,” stressing that “only through transitional justice can peace eventually take root and flourish.”

Permanent ceasefire needed

Francesca Albanese, the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, also addressed the General Assembly committee, urging a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and "Israel’s" withdrawal from all occupied territories.

Albanese called for the dismantling of settlements, suspension of military, trade, and diplomatic ties with "Israel" until it ends its crimes and investigations with prosecutions where warranted.

“This is how we begin to honor the memory of those killed. And if the Security Council is paralyzed, this Assembly must act under uniting for peace with greater resolve than ever before,” she stressed.

At least 90 martyrs from Israeli strikes on Gaza since dawn 

Medical sources in hospitals across the Gaza Strip reported early on Wednesday that at least 90 Palestinians, including 24 children, were martyred in a new wave of Israeli airstrikes. The attacks targeted the homes and tents of forcibly displaced Palestinians in multiple areas of the Strip.

"Israel's" large-scale aggression on Gaza Strip last night resulted in the martyrdom of 104 #Palestinians, among them 46 children.

Pictures of the martyred children began to surface online.

Batoul and Mohammad Zaid Aqel were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their home in… pic.twitter.com/KDvNX0xiA4

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 29, 2025

This escalation marks a serious violation of the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 11, raising concerns over the safety of civilians who had sought shelter in what were considered safe zones.

In Gaza City, Israeli warplanes bombed a residential home in the al-Sabra neighborhood, resulting in the martyrdom of four Palestinians, including a child and an infant. Nine others were injured in the same strike. In an attack near the Yarmouk area, three more Palestinians, including a child, were killed.

In Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, three Palestinians were killed and others were wounded when an Israeli airstrike targeted a school sheltering displaced Palestinians. In a separate attack, a strike on a tent in the Nuseirat camp killed one Palestinian and injured several others.

Local sources confirmed that 18 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in a massacre carried out by Israeli forces after bombing a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza. Several people are still believed to be trapped under the rubble.

Staggering death toll

As of Tuesday evening, medical sources confirmed that the total number of martyrs from the ongoing Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023, has risen to 68,531, the majority of them women and children. The number of injured has reached 170,402, while many victims remain under the rubble.

Ambulance and civil defense teams continue to face immense difficulties in reaching affected areas due to the ongoing bombardment and destruction of infrastructure.