The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated in a report published on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, that the State of Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. It urged Israel, as well as all states, to comply with their legal obligations under international law “in order to put an end to this genocide and hold those responsible accountable.”
Established by the United Nations Human Rights Council on 27 May 2021, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and on Israel, had the mandate “to investigate (...) all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, occurring before 13 April 2021 and since that date.”
In a press release, the Commission indicated that it conducted investigations into the events of 7 October 2023 and subsequent developments over the past two years.
The report, made public on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, namely "killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births."
The Commission emphasizes that explicit statements from Israeli civil and military authorities, combined with the systematic practices of the security forces, demonstrate that the acts of genocide were carried out with “the intent to destroy” in whole or in part, the Palestinian people as a group in the Gaza Strip.
Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission, stated: “The responsibility for these heinous crimes lies with the highest levels of Israeli authorities, who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for nearly two years, with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza.”
She added that the Commission also concluded that Israel had “failed” to prevent the genocide and punish its perpetrators due to its “absence of action” in investigating and prosecuting the alleged offenders.
To establish the existence of genocidal intent, the Commission applied the standard of the “only reasonable inference” used by the International Court of Justice in the Bosnia v. Serbia case. It analyzed public statements made by Israeli authorities and determined that they constitute direct evidence of “genocidal intent.” An examination of the actions of Israeli authorities and forces in Gaza including the imposed starvation of Palestinians and submission to inhumane living conditions confirmed that that "genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference that could be concluded from the nature of their operations".
In its recommendations, the Commission urges the Israeli government to immediately comply with its international obligations, particularly by ending the genocide in the Gaza Strip and fully implementing the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.
It emphasizes the urgent need for Israel to end the policy of starvation, lift the blockade and ensure broad, swift and unhindered humanitarian access. This includes granting access to all United Nations personnel notably those from UNRWA and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as all recognized international humanitarian agencies responsible for providing and coordinating aid.
Finally, the Commission calls on UN member states to halt all transfers of arms and equipment that could be used to commit genocide to Israel to ensure that neither individuals nor entities within their territories or under their jurisdiction participate, directly or indirectly, in committing or inciting genocide and to implement accountability mechanisms, including through investigations and judicial proceedings against those individuals and companies involved.