THE MIND OF THE PEOPLE – The UN’s independent international commission of inquiry released new findings that say Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza. This report was published on Tuesday, June 23 2026, and is a continuation of a long investigation into the violations experienced by Palestinian children since the war in Gaza began.
Reporting from The Guardian, the report stated that around 30 percent of the total victims killed by attacks by Israeli troops were children. The commission’s chairman, Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated that the evidence gathered showed Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces.
This finding is a continuation of a previous report released by the same commission in September 2025. In the report, Israel was said to have committed genocide in Gaza and Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were seen as having helped instigate this action. Netanyahu himself has been separately wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes.
The Israeli mission in Geneva rejected the commission’s findings as trumped-up slanderous accusations. Israel has continued to strongly oppose accusations of genocide while receiving strong diplomatic support from its allies, including the United States and Britain.
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UN: Palestinian Children Deliberately Targeted
Based on a report by The Guardian, the UN commission said that Israeli troops continued to use high-destructive ammunition and weapons with wide impact in densely populated residential areas, even though child casualties continued to increase. The Commission considers this to show that the attack which killed a large number of children was deliberate, not accidental.
The commission also said children were targeted collectively because Israeli security forces consider the entire civilian population to be linked to Hamas and other armed groups.
Muralidhar added that by targeting children, Israel is weakening the Palestinian people’s capacity to continue to survive and determine their own future.
The report also states that the conditions imposed by Israel in Gaza, including widespread attacks, repeated displacement, and starvation due to blockades of aid, food, and medicine, have seriously damaged children’s health and development. This condition is said to cause deaths that could have been prevented and prolonged trauma.
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This investigation also found that attacks on health and reproductive facilities affected the survival rate of newborns and increased cases of miscarriage. Almost all children in Gaza are reported to need psychological support due to the impact of the prolonged conflict.
Violence in the West Bank Also Highlighted
In response, Israel accused Hamas of systematically diverting humanitarian aid and fuel that should have been used for hospitals. Hamas itself rejects these accusations, while Israel on the other hand is also accused of hindering the entry of aid and fuel into Gaza.
This report does not only focus on Gaza, but also covers the West Bank which is still controlled by Israel even though the International Court of Justice has declared the occupation unlawful.
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the commission found a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children. In addition, the commission also documented evidence of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during mass arrests and detention.***
