Palestinian children targeted in genocide, war crimes in Gaza: UN inquiry
Key takeaways
- UN commission of inquiry says Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza resulted in genocide.
- The commission says Israeli forces have destroyed orphanages and schools, and Palestinian children have been arbitrarily arrested, tortured and subjected to sexual abuse in detention.
- UNICEF estimates more than 50,000 children have been killed or wounded since the war began, with at least one Palestinian child killed on average every day in the eight months since the October “ceasefire” took effect.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
UN commission of inquiry says Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in Gaza resulted in genocide.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo A Palestinian man holds the body of his child next to others killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, October 22, 2023. [Fatima Shbair/AP Photo]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 23 Jun 202623 Jun 2026A United Nations commission of inquiry has accused Israel of systematically targeting Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territory, saying Israeli actions amount to genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and war crimes in the occupied West Bank.
In a report released on Tuesday, the commission said about 30 percent of those killed in Gaza since Israel’s war began in October 2023 were children, and that attacks on maternity and neonatal units, along with an aid blockade, have devastated children’s chances of survival.