The report claims that Israeli forces intentionally carried out attacks that caused the deaths of large numbers of Palestinian children and inflicted severe physical and psychological harm. It says these actions continued even after last year s ceasefire.

The commission stated that it possesses evidence suggesting these actions form part of a systematic strategy aimed at weakening the future of the Palestinian people by targeting their children.

The independent International Commission of Inquiry was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel. The three-member panel operates independently and does not officially represent the United Nations.

Israel has strongly rejected the allegations, describing the report as baseless, biased, and propaganda-driven.

The latest findings come in the context of the conflict that followed the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.

According to Gaza s Health Ministry, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since then, including a large number of children.

The report alleges that Israeli attacks struck residential buildings, schools, and shelters. It also accuses Israeli authorities of detaining children, subjecting them to abuse, and restricting access to healthcare.

Israel maintains that its military operations are acts of self-defense aimed at dismantling Hamas and securing the release of hostages, and says it takes measures to protect civilians.

The issue is also being examined by the International Court of Justice, although a final ruling could take years.

In September last year, the commission accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It stated that there were reasonable grounds to believe that four of the five acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention had been committed by Israeli authorities and security forces. Israel rejected those findings as distorted and unfounded.

The commission has previously concluded that both Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups committed war crimes and serious violations of international law during the October 7 attack, while Israeli security forces committed crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.

In October, Israel and Hamas reportedly agreed to a ceasefire under a peace initiative proposed by Donald Trump. Since then, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce.

According to Gaza s Health Ministry, more than 1,020 Palestinians, including 265 children, have been killed since the ceasefire began. Israel says four of its soldiers have also been killed.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the commission said the "intense scale and systematic nature" of Israeli military operations in Gaza had continued, resulting in unprecedented levels of child deaths, injuries, and psychological trauma.

Commission chair Srinivasan Murali Dhar said that child deaths and serious injuries continued even after the October 2025 ceasefire and that Israel was disregarding protections afforded to Palestinian children under international law and the ceasefire agreement.

He added that the protection, care, and survival of Palestinian children are inseparable from the Palestinian people s right to self-determination, and that by targeting children, Israel is effectively attacking the future and survival of the Palestinian nation.

According to the report, Israel directly targeted Palestinian children in Gaza through attacks involving sniper fire, quadcopter drones, and heavy weapons used against residential buildings, schools, and camps sheltering displaced people where many children were present.

The commission also alleges that Israel failed to protect Palestinian children in the West Bank from attacks by Israeli forces and settlers, despite having legal responsibilities in the territory.

The report says that children, particularly teenage boys in Gaza and the West Bank, have faced detention, abuse, mistreatment, and incidents of sexual and gender-based violence, often while in custody.

It further claims that Israeli attacks on neonatal and children s hospitals systematically destroyed life-saving facilities, putting children s survival at risk.

The commission also accuses Israel of using starvation as a method of warfare by restricting humanitarian aid, contributing to severe malnutrition among children and undermining conditions necessary for survival.

In addition, the report says attacks on schools, mass displacement, and prolonged closures of educational institutions have systematically damaged children s access to education, weakening the intellectual and social foundations of Palestinian society.

Israel s Foreign Ministry condemned the report, describing the commission as a fundamentally flawed mechanism designed to target Israel rather than uncover the truth.

The ministry stated that the report ignores Israeli children who were killed, abducted, or targeted by Hamas, and also overlooks allegations that Hamas used Palestinian children as human shields.

Israel further argued that the commission lacks reliable methods for verifying its claims.

Israeli leaders continue to reject allegations of genocide, insisting that military operations in Gaza are conducted in self-defense, with the goals of defeating Hamas and other armed groups and securing the release of hostages.

They also maintain that Israeli forces operate in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. Israel has dismissed the case as entirely baseless and founded on biased and false allegations.