An UN-commissioned team of independent experts has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza while Israeli government has rejected the accusations even as its forces press ahead with a ground offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
In a report released Tuesday, the panel calls on the international community to urgently intervene to halt the atrocities and hold those responsible accountable. ‘genocide’ in Gaza
The three-member team, operating under the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry, presented extensive documentation to support its findings. ‘genocide’ in Gaza
In reaction to the inquiry findings, Israel Tuesday strongly rejected the genocide allegations. ‘genocide’ in Gaza
In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Israeli Foreign Ministry labeled the report “fake.” ‘genocide’ in Gaza
In response to the Pillay, Sidoti and Kothari Commission of Inquiry’s fake report:
Three individuals serving as Hamas proxies, notorious for their openly antisemitic positions — and whose horrific statements about Jews have been condemned worldwide — released today another fake…
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) September 16, 2025
During a press briefing in Geneva, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Meron called the over 70-page document “scandalous,” accusing the Commission of relying on what he termed “Hamas falsehoods.” ‘genocide’ in Gaza
“The report relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others. These fabrications have already been thoroughly debunked, including in an independent, in-depth academic study by BESA, which refuted every single false claim regarding genocide. Needless to say, the three authors made no attempt to address the clear findings of the BESA study,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post on X platform. ‘genocide’ in Gaza
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’ has faced intense scrutiny with allegations of serious crimes while the ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.
Israel dismissed the report as “distorted and false.”
“We’ve normalised horror” in #Gaza, our @JulietteTouma tells @newhumanitarian.
“There’s been impunity – and that has been going on for a long, long, long time… This carte blanche has got us, all of us, where we are right now.”
This must stop.#Ceasefirehttps://t.co/v7LSUWi1uw
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 16, 2025
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel—established in 2021—has repeatedly investigated alleged violations of international law in the region, including since the October 7, 2023, Palestinian militant organization Hamas’s attack in Israel. The commission’s mandate covers not only Gaza but the broader Palestinian territories.
In its report, the Commission issued several recommendations to the Israeli government, including and called on it to “immediately cease all acts constituting genocide in the Gaza Strip.”
The Commission concludes, on reasonable grounds, that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed—and continue to commit—”genocidal acts” against Palestinians in Gaza including killing members of the group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting living conditions intended to bring about the group’s physical destruction, in whole or in part, and implementing measures aimed at preventing births within the group.”
The Commission and the 47-member UN Human Rights Council do not have the power to directly enforce punitive measures against any country accused of “genocidal acts,” the findings could carry significant weight in proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The release of the report coincided with reports of intensified Israeli bombardment in Gaza City overnight. The escalating Middle East crisis took center stage at the United Nations on Tuesday, beginning in Geneva, where the findings were officially presented.
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Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
