Israel has committed “genocidal acts” against Palestinians by systematically destroying women’s healthcare facilities in Gaza and has used sexual violence as a weapon of war, according to a new report from United Nations experts released on Thursday.
The report, issued by the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, alleges that Israeli forces imposed measures intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza, which falls under the definition of genocide according to the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention.
Additionally, the commission found that Israeli actions, including restricted access to medical supplies leading to increased maternity deaths, amounted to the crime against humanity of extermination.
Palestinians gather to receive bread from a bakery, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 9, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
The report also accused Israeli security forces of using forced public stripping and sexual assault as part of their standard operating procedures to punish Palestinians in the aftermath of the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.
Israel has firmly denied these accusations. In response, its permanent mission to the U.N. in Geneva called the report “unfounded, biased, and lacking credibility,” stating that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have strict policies prohibiting such misconduct. The mission emphasized that Israel’s review processes align with international standards.
This latest U.N. report follows a June 2024 investigation that accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of serious human rights violations during their October 7 attack, including acts of torture and degrading treatment.
A drone view shows houses destroyed during the Israeli offensive, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, March 5, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Al-Basos
Israel, a party to the Genocide Convention, was ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January 2024 to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in its ongoing war against Hamas. However, Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which grants the International Criminal Court jurisdiction over cases involving genocide and crimes against humanity.
South Africa has filed a genocide case against Israel at the ICJ over its actions in Gaza. The war, triggered by Hamas’ cross-border raid on October 7, 2023, has resulted in more than 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health officials. In the initial attack, Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
The accusations in the U.N. report are likely to deepen international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in the conflict while further fueling debates over accountability and humanitarian concerns in Gaza.
