A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza and that senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts.
In its most damning assessment to date, the commission said the scale of killings, obstruction of humanitarian aid, forced displacement, and the destruction of infrastructure — including a fertility clinic — amounted to genocidal actions.
“Genocide is occurring in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, head of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and a former International Criminal Court (ICC) judge. “The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.”
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Israel has declined to cooperate with the commission and has rejected its findings. Its diplomatic mission in Geneva accused the body of harboring a political agenda against Israel.
Strongest UN Finding Yet
The commission’s 72-page legal analysis represents the strongest UN-related conclusion so far on the war in Gaza. While the commission is independent and does not officially speak for the United Nations, its findings add pressure on the UN to formally recognize the situation as genocide.
Israel is currently facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. It strongly denies all accusations, citing its right to self-defense following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
The ensuing war in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A global hunger monitoring organization has reported famine conditions in parts of the territory.
Genocide Convention Criteria
Under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as acts committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.” At least one of five specific acts must be present.
The commission concluded that Israel committed four of the five:
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm
Deliberately inflicting life conditions aimed at destruction
Imposing measures intended to prevent births
These findings were based on interviews with victims, witnesses, doctors, verified open-source documents, and satellite imagery.
“Direct Evidence of Genocidal Intent”
The report highlights statements by Netanyahu and other top officials as “direct evidence of genocidal intent.” It cites a letter Netanyahu wrote to Israeli soldiers in November 2023 comparing the Gaza operation to a “holy war of total annihilation” referenced in the Hebrew Bible.
Other officials named include Israeli President Isaac Herzog and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Pillay, who previously headed the UN tribunal for Rwanda, said the Gaza situation bears resemblance to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
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“When I look at the facts in the Rwandan genocide, it’s very, very similar to this,” she said. “You dehumanise your victims — they’re animals — and so therefore, without conscience, you can kill them.”
While the ICJ has cited Israeli statements in its emergency measures order earlier in 2024, it has not named Netanyahu directly.
“I hope, as a result of our report, that the minds of states will also be opened,” said Pillay, who is expected to retire in November.
