UN inquiry says Israel kept committing genocide in Gaza after truce
GENEVA, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Israel continued to commit genocide in Gaza after last October's US-brokered ceasefire in the enclave, a UN commission said in a report published on Monday that Israel dismissed as part of a "misinformation campaign".
The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023 up to September this year.
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It said Israeli authorities had kept committing "genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza", and that the situation had also continued to deteriorate in the occupied West Bank.
Another 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 called scandalous.
The Israeli mission in Geneva said the latest report was 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.
HEAVY MUNITIONS HIT POPULATED AREAS, COMMISSION SAYS
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.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The report found that Israeli fire across the advancing front killed at least 196 Palestinians during the ceasefire, including 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls. Reuters mentions only weapons used "in densely populated areas". A reader is left believing the commission's finding of genocide after the truce rests on weapons use and territory, with no count of the people killed.
How we know
- Associated Press reported“Israeli fire across the advancing front has killed at least 196 Palestinians”UN-commissioned experts say Gaza ceasefire has not stopped Israel from committing genocide (opens in a new tab)
- The Independent reported“Israeli forces have gone from controlling 53% of Gaza to at least 60%, the commission said”UN-commissioned experts say Gaza ceasefire has not stopped Israel from committing genocide (opens in a new tab)
It said the "Yellow Line" which was presented as a temporary ceasefire demarcation, was encroaching increasingly into Gaza, and becoming a de facto border, which the report said reflected Israel’s expanding territorial control of Gaza.
Palestinian authorities say 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 Security Council, the commission said the situation in the West Bank had also 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.
Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the intentional killing of Palestinian civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank formed 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, the report said.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The report accused Israeli soldiers and prison guards of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination, torture and rape. It also documented six cases of sexual violence against male detainees from Gaza at Sde Teiman. Reuters reports none of this, so a reader believes the report's West Bank findings were limited to airstrikes and displacement.
How we know
- Associated Press reported“The report also accused Israeli soldiers and prison guards of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including extermination, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence and persecution against civilians.”UN-commissioned experts say Gaza ceasefire has not stopped Israel from committing genocide (opens in a new tab)
- CBC News reported“The commission said that it had recently documented six cases in which Israeli guards were sexually violent toward male detainees from Gaza in the Sde Teiman military prison.”UN commission says Israel has continued to commit genocide in Gaza since truce (opens in a new tab)
The commission also faulted the Palestinian Authority, saying it had targeted Palestinians who voice dissenting views and that journalists and human rights defenders had been killed and injured.
Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, writing by Kirsti Knolle
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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