UN Inquiry Accuses Israel of Systematically Targeting Palestinian Children

The report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry states that approximately 20,179 children were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and October 2025, accounting for 30% of the total death toll. Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar stated that the evidence points to intentional targeting, suggesting that Israeli forces equated the civilian population with Hamas. The document highlights the use of high-payload munitions in dense residential areas as a primary driver of these casualties, alongside the severe impacts of a blockade that has restricted access to food, medicine, and reproductive healthcare.

Beyond the conflict in Gaza, the commission documented a sharp rise in violence against children in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Investigators reported systemic mistreatment of detainees, including beatings, forced stripping, and sexual violence, which they classified as torture. Israeli authorities rejected the findings, labeling the report a "libelous sham" and a "defamatory advocacy report." Israel’s mission in Geneva maintained that its forces strive to minimize harm to children and accused Hamas of using civilians as shields and diverting humanitarian aid for military purposes. The commission dismissed these assertions, maintaining that the treatment of Palestinian children represents a calculated effort to destroy the group in part.