The UN Officially Labels the Situation in Gaza as a Genocide
After two years of investigation the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded genocide in Gaza. Photo courtesy of sanjitbakshi via Flickr.
An investigation by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has officially concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This marks one of the most serious accusations leveled by an international body in the ongoing conflict.
The findings of the two-year-long investigation were released on Sept. 16, 2025, by the UN on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, chair of the inquiry and former UN human rights chief.
The commission stated that Israeli authorities and security forces committed four of the five acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, inflicting life conditions intended to destroy a group and imposing measures to prevent births.
Furthermore, claiming statements made by Israeli officials and the pattern of military conduct indicated genocidal intent — the “only reasonable inference” under international law, and confirming more than 64,000 people have been killed during the war in Gaza, according to the commission’s findings.
The inquiry also concluded that Israeli leaders, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, incited genocide but were not held accountable domestically.
Israel has rejected the accusations as politically motivated and false. In a statement, its Foreign Ministry called the commission members “Hamas proxies” and described the report as a “distorted” attempt to delegitimize the state. Israel has also refused to cooperate with the commission, accusing it and the Human Rights Council of anti-Israel bias.
Genocide allegations carry particular sensitivity in Israel, a nation founded after the Holocaust. Officials have consistently argued that military operations in Gaza are aimed at defeating Hamas and rescuing Israeli hostages, not targeting civilians.
The commission has urged states to stop arms transfers to Israel and ensure that corporations within their jurisdictions are not complicit in genocide. It also called for international accountability through legal proceedings.
While the commission itself cannot enforce action, its findings could influence ongoing cases at the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has already filed a genocide complaint against Israel.
The report adds to mounting international scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza and increases pressure on governments to respond. Advocates say global inaction risks complicity, while Israel and its allies argue that such findings ignore Hamas’s role in triggering the conflict.
The commission’s findings are likely to intensify debates in international law, human rights and geopolitics, but whether they lead to meaningful action remains uncertain.