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A new report by the UN Commission of Inquiry finds that despite the October 2025 ceasefire, Israel continues to intentionally target Palestinian civilians and commit genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The heightened killing and harm caused to the Palestinians is a "direct result" of Israel's expansion of territorial control, known as 'maximum land for minimum population'. 

The report further finds that Israeli forces continue to commit crimes of extermination, age-based persecution, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence in the West Bank, where the situation has deteriorated since October 7, 2023. These findings contradict the Board of Peace report to the UN Security Council, which says the ceasefire has brought "enormous relief" to the civilian population.

The findings were presented to the UN General Assembly by Dr. S Muralidhar, former High Court Chief Justice and presently a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India, who chairs the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel(UN Commission of Inquiry).

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Muralidhar said: "I present to you the Commission's report focusing on killings and bodily and mental harm by state actors in the occupied Palestinian territory since 7th October 2023. This is the Commission's third report to the General Assembly since the genocide in Gaza started in October 2023. Yet little or no action is being taken by Israel or member states to stop the atrocities against the Palestinian people highlighted by this Commission. Failure to act now is particularly egregious."

He pointed out that against the backdrop of the staggering death toll, which has continued to rise since the ceasefire, over 75,000 Palestinians across the occupied territory have been killed since October 7, 2023, including at least 21,500 children and 11,000 women.

Dr Muralidhar remarked that it's outrageous that such actions have continued unabated and further said: 

"Israel continues to expand its territorial control in Gaza, resulting in the killing and harming of Palestinian civilians, including children who approach across the yellow line. The commission's finding on continuous harm to civilians since the ceasefire stands in contrast to the Board of Peace's report to the Security Council in May this year, which claimed that the ceasefire has largely held bringing, and I quote, enormous relief to the civilian populations. Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated gravely since 7th October 2023, and the number of Palestinian fatalities has increased significantly."

Further, he informed that the Commission found that the Israeli authorities intended that military operations and settler violence form part of a "coordinated attack" against Palestinians since October 7, 2023, serving common objectives of entrenchment of Palestinian territory, annexation of Palestinian territory, and the displacement of Palestinians from their land.

He said: "The commission concludes that Israel has committed the crimes against humanity of extermination, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the West Bank. Israel has also committed the crime against humanity of persecution in the West Bank, where the permissive rules of engagement are implemented in a discriminatory manner, applying exclusively to the Palestinians The conduct of the Israeli authorities and forces form part of a broader strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians and impose conditions of life that are unlivable."

Further, Dr Muralidhar submitted that the report has concluded age-based persecution against Palestinian children has been committed by Israel in the West Bank. Detailing the same, he said that sexual, reproductive and other forms of gendered violence, including rape and other forms of sexual violence like gang rape, genital violence, forced nudity and cavity searches of Palestinian women amounting to torture continue to be used by Israeli forces to displace, subjugate and destabilise the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Adding to this, he said sexual violence continues to be part of a pattern to destroy the Palestinians as a group. In the West Bank, the violence forms part of the "widespread and systematic attack" on the civilian population as a form of collective punishment. Where, the victims are targeted on the basis of being Palestinian, as well as their perceived political affiliation, gender and sexual orientation.

As part of a broader investigation into the root causes of recurrent tensions and protraction of conflict, Muralidhar said that the report outlines the key drivers of Israeli violence. It concludes that Israel has striven to expand territorially and displace Palestinians through violence since the 1947-48 war. 

"Israel's policy of seizing maximum land while minimizing the Palestinian population is rooted in historical practices and patterns of action, resulting in an excessive and discriminatory application of lethal force displacement and injuring and killing Palestinians over generations."

The report also examines Palestinian state violence and concludes that Palestinian security forces have increasingly used unnecessary or disproportionate force against Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, Dr Muralidhar said.

Dr Muralidhar also talked about the Commission's conclusion that the Palestinian Authority has failed to conduct effective and impartial investigations into incidents of killing and to ensure effective remedy to victims and their family members. 

As for the recommendations, it has been suggested that the State of Palestine must cease the targeting of human rights defenders and other civil society actors. Further, Palestinian authorities must conduct independent investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and provide remedies for victims.

As for the State of Israel, Dr Muralidhar submitted that it should immediately comply with the advisory opinion of July 2024 of the International Court of Justice. It must end the unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory and evacuate all settlements and remove obstructions to the full exercise of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.

"Most urgently, Israel must also end the Commission of International crimes in the occupied Palestinian territory, including genocide in Gaza. Member states must also fulfil their obligations under international law. States must not render any form of political, military, economic or financial aid or assistance or cooperation in maintaining Israel's unlawful occupation and its settlements. Member states must employ all means available to them to prevent and punish the crime of genocide."

Dr Muralidhar also acknowledged the support of the United Kingdom, Russia and China on the report's findings. He concluded by pointing out that the forced displacement of the Palestinian population in the West Bank is a deep concern, including the reliance on artificial intelligence by the Israeli forces.

"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 2026. Also of concern is the use of technology. The Commission is aware of the use of Where's Daddy, an artificial intelligence-assisted tracking system that monitors the location of targeted individuals and alerts operators when a target enters a designated location. The commission highlights that where artificial intelligence is used, the individuals who exercise effective control over the system and make the relevant decisions remain accountable."

The present findings corroborate the previous findings of the Commission that the actions of Israeli forces in Gaza amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, in addition to violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law. 

Previous findings

The previous report had stated that since October 2023, Israeli officials have demonstrated a consistent intent to establish 'permanent military control' over Gaza and to change its demographic composition while systematically destroying Palestinian life.

Further, it has "deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children and destroyed their childhood". Moreover, Israel uses settler violence in the West Bank as a State policy towards the entrenchment of Israeli settlements, the annexation of Palestinian territory, and the displacement of Palestinians from their land. The Israeli forces use artificial intelligence tools and autonomous weapons systems in Gaza.

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