The United Nations has officially declared that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide, marking a historic moment nearly two years after the conflict began.
Navi Pillay, chairwoman of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the investigation identified senior Israeli leaders – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog – as responsible.
“We’ve identified the president, the prime minister and the former minister of defence based on their statements and the orders that they’ve given,” Pillay told Al Jazeera. “Because these three individuals were agents of the state, under the law, the state is held responsible. So we say it’s the State of Israel that has committed genocide.”
The commission’s report concluded that Israel had “genocidal intent” against Palestinians in Gaza. It found that Israeli soldiers “intentionally killed” civilians using “wide impact munitions” and carried out actions amounting to extermination.
“The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” the report said.
Israel, however, dismissed the inquiry’s findings. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the report “fake” and claimed it relied on “Hamas falsehoods.” Israel’s UN envoy Daniel Meron condemned the findings as “scandalous” and a “libellous rant.”
This is not the first genocide accusation against Israel. In 2023, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Earlier this year, Amnesty International also described Israel’s assault as a “live-streamed genocide.”
Since the war began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,139 people in southern Israel, Gaza has faced relentless bombardment and ground operations. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, at least 64,871 people have been killed and over 164,000 wounded.
The UN report called for a “complete permanent” ceasefire, unrestricted humanitarian access, and an end to policies of starvation. It also demanded that investigators be granted access to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories to continue their work.
Despite the report’s release, Israeli attacks on Gaza intensified on Tuesday. Defence Minister Israel Katz declared the enclave was “on fire” as the army launched a new ground assault on Gaza City. Medical officials reported at least 62 Palestinians killed since dawn, 52 of them in Gaza City alone.
