NEW DELHI — The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel released a 94-page report on June 23, 2026. The commission found that Israeli forces deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children and committed genocidal acts. Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the findings, calling the report a "libellous sham."

The report detailed that at least 20,179 Palestinian children were killed between October 2023 and October 2025, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all Palestinian deaths during that period. It documented more than 44,000 children injured and an estimated 58,000 children orphaned during the war. "The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces," said Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission.

The report outlined patterns of snipers and precision drone strikes targeting children, a blockade of humanitarian aid that fuelled starvation and disease, and the systematic targeting of maternity and neonatal facilities in Gaza. It also documented allegations of sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, and torture of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank. Muralidhar dismissed Israel's claim that Hamas used Palestinian children as human shields as a myth, noting that many children were killed while going about everyday routines.

Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the report in its entirety and described the UN commission as a mechanism designed to "vilify" the country. The Ministry stated that the report ignored Hamas's use of Palestinian children as human shields and completely erased Israeli children who were murdered, kidnapped, and targeted by Hamas. The UN Human Rights Council established the commission in May 2021, and Muralidhar joined it in November 2025.

The commission recommended that UN member states halt arms transfers to Israel that involve or could involve the commission of genocide. It also recommended the arrest of Israeli officials wanted by the International Criminal Court, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Muralidhar pointed to thousands of foreign nationals serving in the Israeli military and stated that Geneva Convention signatory countries are obligated to prosecute their nationals for violations upon their return.

Muralidhar stated that he personally has not been threatened since the report's release, though Commissioner Chris Sidoti has faced trolling and harassment. The UN commission had previously found reasonable grounds to conclude that Israeli authorities were committing genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza in a report released in September 2025. A ceasefire was agreed upon in October 2025, but Muralidhar noted on July 7, 2026, "The air strikes are continuing, the killings are continuing and the situation is dire."