UN panel finds genocide in Gaza continues after ceasefire

Israel rejected a United Nations finding that it has continued to commit genocide in Gaza since a ceasefire took effect last October. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry published a report on Monday stating that Israeli authorities maintained genocidal intent to destroy Palestinians in the enclave.

The document covers violations against Palestinian children from the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, through September of this year. It accuses Israeli soldiers and prison guards of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including extermination, torture, and rape.

The commission documented six specific cases where Israeli guards used sexual violence against male detainees from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military prison. In the Gaza Strip, the panel noted that heavy munitions, drones, and sniper fire were used in densely populated areas even after the U.S.-brokered truce began.

The report highlights the expansion of the "Yellow Line," a temporary demarcation that the commission says is becoming a de facto border. This shift reflects Israel's increasing territorial control over the territory.

Ambassador Daniel Meron, representing the Israeli mission in Geneva, called the report part of a campaign to undermine the country. "The attempt to destroy the Jewish state .. continues today through efforts by actors such as the UN Commission of Inquiry to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and deny its fundamental right to exist and defend itself," Meron said in a statement.

Palestinian authorities report that more than 74,000 people have been killed in the conflict. The war began after Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people. In the West Bank, the commission found that Palestinians killed in airstrikes rose from six between 2008 and late 2023 to 254 between Oct. 7, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2026.

Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the killing of civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank are part of a strategy to displace Palestinians. Military operations since January 2025 have resulted in the largest displacement in the region since 1967, with 34,176 Palestinians still displaced as of August 2026. The panel also criticized the Palestinian Authority for targeting dissenting voices and injuring journalists.