A UN panel has concluded that Israel committed acts of genocide in its military operations in the Gaza Strip, as detailed in a comprehensive 72-page legal analysis. The report, released by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, highlights that Israeli forces were responsible for the deaths of 60,199 Palestinians since the October 7 attacks, with significant impacts on women, children, and healthcare facilities.

The inquiry found that the acts committed by Israeli forces included killing or seriously harming members of the Palestinian group, imposing conditions intended to physically destroy Gazans in whole or in part, and targeting reproductive health facilities, notably maternity wards and Gaza’s largest IVF clinic. This has resulted in a dramatic drop in life expectancy from 75.5 to 40.5 years in the region.

The report also accuses high-ranking Israeli officials, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, of incitement to genocide. Notable statements from these leaders were seen as evidence of intent to destroy the Palestinian group, a key component required to classify actions as genocidal under international law.

Navi Pillay, chair of the Commission, stated, "The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign... with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza."

In response, Israel’s UN delegation in Geneva sharply criticized the report, dismissing it as biased and accusing the commission of using "cherry-picked" facts propagated by Hamas. They further condemned the inquiry as a nonjudicial entity engaged in lawfare against Israel, calling for its disestablishment.

Under international law, specifically the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), genocide involves specific acts committed with the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. While Israel is a signatory to the Genocide Convention, it is not a party to the Rome Statute. However, the ICC claims jurisdiction over Gaza due to Palestine's accession to the statute.

This landmark finding by the UN Commission has intensified the global discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, potentially paving the way for further legal action against Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court.