‘Genocide in Real Time’: UN Accuses Israel in Historic Gaza Report

September 16, 2025 News
Israel has continued to use starvation of civilians as a weapon of war against Palestinians in Gaza. (Photo: via QNN)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

A UN commission has, for the first time, concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, citing mass killings, starvation, and direct incitement by top leaders, and urged states to act under the Genocide Convention.

An independent United Nations commission has, for the first time, determined that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, accusing senior Israeli leaders of direct and public incitement. 

In a 72-page legal analysis delivered to the Human Rights Council, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry stated that “the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have had and continue to have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

A Historic Finding

The commission, established in 2021 to investigate violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel, concluded that four acts under the Genocide Convention have been carried out in Gaza since October 7, 2023: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting destructive living conditions, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. 

“The Commission concludes that the actus reus and mens rea of killing members of the group under article II(a) of the Genocide Convention are established,” the report said.

Mass Killings of Civilians

Between October 2023 and July 2025, more than 60,000 Palestinians were killed, including nearly 18,500 children and almost 10,000 women. Entire families were wiped out, neighborhoods flattened, and residential blocks destroyed. 

“The killings of Palestinian civilians were conducted in a large-scale manner over a significant period of time and widespread geographical area. Victims were targeted collectively due to their identity as Palestinians,” the commission found.

Attacks in ‘Safe Zones’

The inquiry documented repeated attacks on civilians along evacuation routes and in designated safe areas. Even when civilians carried makeshift white flags, they were shot at by Israeli forces. 

“In all cases analysed, the Israeli security forces had clear knowledge of the presence of Palestinian civilians along the evacuation routes and within the safe areas but nevertheless they shot at and killed civilians, some of whom (including children) were holding makeshift white flags,” the report stated.

Starvation as a Weapon

Central to the findings was the use of siege tactics and deliberate deprivation of basic necessities. 

Gaza endured long periods without food, water, fuel, or medicine. 

“Israel has weaponized the withholding of life-sustaining necessities, specifically by cutting off supplies of water, food, electricity, fuel, and other essential supplies, including humanitarian assistance,” the commission concluded.

Death at Food Distribution Sites

Since May 2025, the inquiry noted, more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed while attempting to access food at distribution points operated by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. 

“At least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food; 859 in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites and 514 along the routes of food convoys,” investigators reported.

Bodily and Mental Harm

Beyond killings, the war left at least 146,000 injured, including tens of thousands of children with amputations and permanent disabilities. Torture and psychological trauma were widespread. 

“The nature of the bodily or mental harm must attain a certain degree of seriousness as to contribute to or threaten the physical or biological destruction of the group, in whole or in part,” the commission emphasized.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

The report described systemic use of sexualized violence against Palestinians, both in detention and during military operations. 

“Israeli security forces have perpetrated sexual and gender-based violence including rape, sexualized torture and other forms of sexual violence not only as a punishment against the individuals, but as part of a pattern of collective punishment to fracture, humiliate and subjugate the Palestinian population in its entirety,” the commission said.

Targeting of Medical and Humanitarian Workers

Health and relief personnel were killed in large numbers, often while on duty. Ambulances and UN vehicles were deliberately fired upon. 

“The Commission finds that the Israeli security forces intentionally shot at the first responders on 23 March 2025 and, due to the extensive duration of the gunfire, it is reasonable to find that the Israeli security forces had intended to kill the victims,” the inquiry reported.

The Destruction of Childhood

The war’s impact on children, both physical and psychological, was a central focus of the findings. Malnutrition and trauma threatened an entire generation. 

“The essence of childhood has been destroyed in Gaza,” the report quoted one medical professional as saying.

Incitement by Leaders

Responsibility, the commission stressed, extended beyond battlefield conduct to public statements by Israel’s top officials. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were singled out. 

“As early as 7 October 2023, Israeli officials made statements that indicated their intention to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a group,” the report noted.

A Call to the World

The commission concluded that states are legally obligated to act under the Genocide Convention to halt and punish the crime. 

“The genocide in Gaza is unfolding in real time. The legal, moral and political duty of States is clear. The world must act now to stop the killing, to protect the Palestinian people, and to uphold its obligations to prevent and punish the crime of genocide,” the report urged.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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