UN Panel Accuses Israel of Ongoing Genocide in Gaza Post-Truce

A United Nations commission concluded on Monday that Israel has continued to commit genocide in Gaza since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect last October. The finding comes from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which issued a detailed assessment of events up to September of this year. The panel stated that Israeli authorities maintained genocidal intent to destroy Palestinians in the enclave, in whole or in part, even after hostilities were meant to have paused.

Israel rejected the document as part of a deliberate misinformation campaign. Ambassador Daniel Meron, representing the Israeli mission in Geneva, argued that the report aims to undermine the state's legitimacy and its right to defend itself. He described the process as an ongoing attempt to destroy the Jewish state, noting that previous accusations of incitement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were also dismissed as scandalous by the Israeli government.

The commission documented specific military actions during the ceasefire period. Investigators reported that Israeli forces deployed heavy munitions, drones, quadcopters, artillery, and sniper fire within densely populated zones. The report also tracked the movement of the Yellow Line, a demarcation presented as temporary. According to the findings, this line has encroached deeper into Gaza, functioning as a de facto border that reflects expanding territorial control by Israeli forces.

Beyond the Gaza Strip, the panel accused Israeli soldiers and prison guards of war crimes in the West Bank. These charges include extermination, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence against civilians. The commission highlighted six recent cases involving sexual violence toward male detainees from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military prison. It further noted that the number of Palestinians killed in airstrikes in the West Bank rose sharply, reaching 254 between October 2023 and September 2026, compared to just six killed in the same region between 2008 and late 2023.

Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar stated that the killing of civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank are part of a strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians. Military operations that began in January 2025 resulted in the largest displacement of West Bank Palestinians since 1967. As of August 2026, 34,176 Palestinians remained displaced. The report also criticized the Palestinian Authority, alleging it targets dissenting voices and that journalists and human rights defenders have suffered injury and death.

Palestinian authorities reported that more than 74,000 people have been killed in Israel's assault on Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023. The conflict was triggered when Hamas-led fighters killed approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel. The new UN report adds to the body of evidence presented to the Security Council, detailing the deteriorating conditions in both territories since the war's inception.