A recent report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry of the UN presented compelling evidence that Israel has 'knowingly committed acts causing death and serious physical and mental harm to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children' in Gaza, leading to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Commission Findings on Gaza
The Commission asserts that Israel is 'destroying the fundamental structure of Palestinian society, weakening demographic viability.' In its September 2025 report, the three-member commission concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza in accordance with the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The latest report, published on June 23, 2026, details the impact of Israeli military actions on Palestinian children, including those in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, since October 2023. The report, titled 'The Essence of Childhood Destroyed,' documents atrocities that have claimed the lives of over 20,000 Palestinian children in two years and injured at least 44,000 others. Child casualties account for nearly 30% of all Palestinian deaths, and the damage to the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health of survivors, about 58,000 of whom are orphans, is difficult to measure.
Tactics of Military Operations
The Commission found that Israeli forces deliberately target vital organs of children, using snipers and precision tools such as quadcopter drones, and also employ high-impact munitions in densely populated residential buildings, schools, and refugee camps. Analysis of photographs, videos, CT scans, and X-rays of Palestinian victims aged three to sixteen showed that in 12 out of 15 cases, the injury corresponded to a single targeted shot.
Medical workers in Gaza describe cases of 'lethal shots' to the head, neck, and heart of children; others testify that snipers aim for amputation, resulting in many children losing more than one limb. There are currently over 846 amputees among children in Gaza, which is the highest figure in modern history. One doctor told the commission that, based on the cluster of injuries and affected body parts, he believes that Israeli soldiers intentionally shoot teenagers as part of a game, as different body parts are hit on different days.
This is corroborated by testimonies from volunteers, such as British surgeon Dr. Nick Maynard, who was interviewed by Channel 4 News in July 2025. He recounted that they once treated patients wounded in the abdomen, and another day—in the head or neck. Last Saturday, they treated four young teenagers wounded in the testicles, as if the game was about which body part would be hit today and which tomorrow.
Culture of Warfare
Israeli soldiers themselves confirm similar practices. One soldier in an ITVX documentary noted that 'drones, in my opinion, dehumanize the other side the most. You see everything on screen. You drop the bomb. It's like a game.'
Reviewing interviews with Israeli soldiers who admitted to shooting unarmed civilians, including children, believing they were not targets, the report highlighted a 'broad picture of a permissive military culture in which Israeli soldiers are encouraged to directly attack Palestinian children with or without orders from higher commanders.'
The Commission also noted that the conditions imposed by Israel in Gaza, including large-scale attacks, repeated population displacement, and starvation caused by the blockade of aid, food, and medicine, have severely undermined the health and development of children, leading to preventable deaths and injuries. Attacks on hospitals, schools, and orphanages directly contributed to child fatalities, long-term disability, and educational collapse. Increases in infant mortality and miscarriages are linked to attacks that disrupted pediatric care, neonatal treatment, and emergency surgery. Israeli forces destroyed 97% of Gaza's schools, making formal education an unattainable dream.
Situation in the West Bank
Furthermore, the heavy psychological burden means that almost all children in Gaza require psychosocial support due to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. The Commission also concluded that children in both Gaza and the West Bank have been subjected to arbitrary arrest and torture in detention facilities.
The report documented that 'Israeli security forces intentionally attacked Palestinian children in the West Bank,' using disproportionate force and obstructing medical care. Child killings occur with impunity, constituting a 'war crime of intentional infliction of great suffering or serious injury to body or health.' Attacks in the West Bank resemble those in Gaza, including airstrikes in densely populated areas and the use of drones. In one instance, a drone killed a 10-year-old boy, an eight-year-old boy, and their 23-year-old cousin while they were sitting near their home in the morning. Video evidence showed that when a 14-year-old boy was wounded, soldiers surrounded him, prevented his mother and paramedics from approaching, filmed him, and then placed a stone next to him to portray him as a 'stone-throwing terrorist.' The Commission emphasized that the Israeli version was obviously false and attempted to conceal the offenses.
Girls in the West Bank also face lethal violence even in their homes. A two-year-old toddler was shot in the head during a family dinner, and a group of female mourners at a funeral was fired upon, resulting in serious injuries to a nine-year-old girl, a fifteen-year-old girl, and two adult women. Arrests, detention, and torture of children continue. Since October 7, 2023, over 1,655 children have been detained in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Many are held in 'administrative detention': imprisoned indefinitely without charges. Others are in military centers operating outside the prison system. The report points to deplorable conditions: prolonged solitary confinement; inadequate nutrition, safe water, and medical care; unsanitary cells; inappropriate mixing with adults; dog terrorization; and sexual violence. A 17-year-old boy from Ramallah died in Megiddo prison due to deliberate denial of food and medical care for six months. Targeted deprivation violates fundamental children's rights, constituting war crimes of torture, inhuman treatment, and intentional killing.
Impact of the Report and Future Steps
The report also documented that authorities have been unable to stop illegal settler attacks on West Bank residents, including children. Settler violence implements Israeli policy, as the state and settlers share 'the same strategic goals: cementing Israeli settlements on Palestinian land, annexing Palestinian territory, and displacing the Palestinian population from their land.'
The Commission Chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, noted: 'By attacking children, Israel attacks the very ability of the Palestinian people to exist and determine their future.' He added that even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to die and suffer serious injuries.
The Commission's reports contribute to a growing, detailed, and irrefutable archive of evidence that may influence current and future cases in international courts (ICC and ICJ), and will help advance the discussion on whether the legal definition of genocide has been met. The presented body of evidence could affect financial and military support for Israel, as well as pressure UN member states to hold perpetrators accountable for the crimes committed. Muralidhar and other commission members also raised the alarming question of how impunity for these crimes could accelerate their spread. As the author concludes, 'If you close your eyes to violations in Gaza today, you could be the victims (of genocide and war crimes) tomorrow.'
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