Dubai, UAE — A United Nations inquiry said on Tuesday that Israeli authorities and security forces had deliberately targeted Palestinian children in Gaza, arguing that the killings formed a key element in establishing what it described as Israel’s “genocidal intent” toward Palestinians in the enclave.
The findings were published by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which said it had found evidence that Palestinian children had been “deliberately targeted and killed” during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
The commission said there were “reasonable grounds” to conclude that Israeli authorities and security forces had continued to commit the crime of genocide in Gaza, citing the scale of child deaths, injuries and trauma resulting from military operations.
“By targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future,” commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said in a statement accompanying the report.
The inquiry, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, said at least 20,179 children had been killed and more than 44,000 injured in Gaza during the first two years of the war. It said the killing and maiming of children formed part of a strategy to undermine the future existence of Palestinians in the territory.
The report also cited widespread trauma, displacement, starvation, family separation and the collapse of education and healthcare systems, which it said had effectively “erased childhood” for many children in Gaza.
Israel rejected the findings, calling the report “defamatory” and a “libellous sham”. Israeli authorities accused the commission of ignoring what they described as Hamas’ use of Palestinian civilians, including children, as human shields.
The commission said violence against Palestinian children had also increased in the occupied West Bank, where it documented a rise in attacks by Israeli settlers and military operations affecting minors.
The findings come days after the UN children’s agency UNICEF said at least 265 children had been killed and hundreds wounded in Gaza since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect.
The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 72,800 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
The commission urged all UN member states, including Israel, to ensure accountability for crimes committed during the conflict.
