UN commission denounces ongoing 'genocide' in Gaza: 'By targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist'

Rajab Al-Baba, a nine-year-old boy from Gaza, during a rehabilitation session following the amputation of one of his legs, in Gaza, June 17, 2026. ABDELRAHMAN RASHAD FOR LE MONDE While the sound of bombs has faded in Lebanon and Iran, as negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic have so far managed to impose a truce, the Gaza Strip continues to endure a siege and remains the target of bombardments. On Tuesday, June 23, an international commission of inquiry, mandated by the United Nations (UN), accused Israel of deliberately "targeting" children in the Palestinian territory, denouncing an ongoing "genocide." The commission stated that the consequences of the conflict far exceeded human losses. Children have been victims of killings, injuries, separation, forced displacement, famine and lack of access to education and healthcare. The report detailed severe physical and psychological injuries, collective trauma, orphanhood, separation, disability, repeated displacement, famine and the collapse of educational and health systems that have destroyed the childhoods of these children and will continue to affect them throughout their lives in Gaza. 'Targeting of maternity wards' In a statement, the president of the commission of inquiry, Indian law expert and judge Srinivasan Muralidhar, said, "by targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future." Israel, for its part, condemned the report as "defamatory," accusing it of "ignoring Hamas' cynical use of Palestinian children as human shields and pawns of war." You have 78.89% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.