An independent U.N. inquiry reported on Tuesday that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, leading to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Gaza, as well as war crimes in the occupied West Bank.
The findings, issued by the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, reviewed violations committed against Palestinian children since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023.
According to the report, children accounted for roughly 30% of those killed during the Gaza conflict.
An earlier report released by the commission in September concluded that Israel had carried out genocide in Gaza and that senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had encouraged such actions — accusations Israel dismissed as outrageous. Israel’s mission in Geneva said it rejected what it described as the Commission’s “second defamatory advocacy report.”
“Israel dismisses this libelous sham,” the mission said, adding that “every child deserves protection” and claiming the report disregarded “the brutal tactics of Hamas.”
The Commission stated that Palestinian children were intentionally targeted and killed throughout the war, including after a ceasefire came into force in October 2025. It said this demonstrated genocidal intent by Israeli authorities and security forces aimed at destroying the Palestinian population in Gaza, in whole or in part.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, the commission’s chair, in a statement accompanying the findings.
The report noted that the percentage of child fatalities exceeded that of previous Gaza conflicts. Between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, at least 20,179 children were killed, representing about 30% of all deaths.
By comparison, during the 2008–2009 and 2014 Gaza hostilities, children made up around 24% of conflict-related deaths, the commission said.
It found that Israeli forces continued using high-yield munitions and wide-area weapons in heavily populated neighborhoods despite rising child casualties.
“This demonstrates that these attacks, which killed children in such large numbers, were intentional,” the report stated. It added that children appeared to be targeted collectively because Israeli security forces viewed the broader civilian population as linked to Hamas and other armed groups.
A response issued by Israel’s mission in Geneva said Israel “consistently strives to minimize harm to children even in situations of conflict” and firmly rejected any claim that it intentionally targets children.
Muralidhar said that by targeting children, Israel was weakening the Palestinian community’s ability to survive and shape its future.
