A UN commission has accused Israel of continuing to commit genocide in Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect last October, a finding rejected by Israel as part of what it called a "misinformation campaign." The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, covers alleged violations against Palestinian civilians, including children, from the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, through September 2026.
The commission stated that Israeli authorities have continued to commit "genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza." It also warned that conditions in the occupied West Bank have continued to deteriorate. A previous report by the commission in September last year found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts - accusations that Israel labeled scandalous.
The Israeli mission in Geneva stated the latest report is part of a misinformation campaign to demonize the State of Israel. "The attempt to destroy the Jewish state... continues today through efforts by actors such as the UN Commission of Inquiry to undermine Israel's legitimacy and deny its fundamental right to exist and defend itself," Ambassador Daniel Meron said in a statement.
The commission found that Israeli forces continued using heavy munitions, drones, quadcopters, artillery, and sniper fire in densely populated areas during the ceasefire in Gaza. It noted that the "Yellow Line," presented as a temporary ceasefire demarcation, was encroaching increasingly into Gaza, becoming a de facto border, which the report said reflects Israel's expanding territorial control.
Palestinian authorities report that more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. In its report to the UN General Assembly, the commission highlighted that the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated sharply, with the number of Palestinians killed in airstrikes increasing from six between 2008 and October 6, 2023, to 254 between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026.
The report concluded that Israeli military operations, alongside sustained settler violence, form part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population in the West Bank. Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar stated that the intentional killing of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of homes in the West Bank are part of a broader strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians.
Military operations since January 2025 have led to the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, with 34,176 Palestinians remaining displaced as of August 2026.