UN Commission of Inquiry Says Israel Deliberately Targeted Palestinian Children, Alleges War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity

UN Commission of Inquiry said Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children and attributed war crimes and crimes against humanity to them.

What Happened

On 23 June 2026, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel released a report examining alleged violations and crimes affecting Palestinian children between 7 October 2023 and 31 March 2026. The report, titled “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”: Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023, was issued as document A/HRC/62/CRP.2.

The Commission said its findings showed that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted and killed Palestinian children. It characterised the conduct as including crimes against humanity, including persecution, and war crimes in Gaza, as well as war crimes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. These are conclusions of the Commission’s investigation, not findings issued by a court.

The Commission also said its latest findings further substantiated its earlier conclusion concerning genocide in Gaza. The Commission’s position on genocide is disputed by Israel.

The report attributed more than 20,000 Palestinian child deaths and about 44,000 injuries to the period under review, with children accounting for nearly 30 per cent of deaths recorded in the occupied Palestinian territory during that period. These figures are presented here as figures reported by the Commission.

The investigation also examined attacks affecting education and healthcare, conditions affecting children’s survival, detention and ill-treatment, and violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children in the West Bank.

Background & Context

The Commission of Inquiry is an independent investigative mechanism established by the UN Human Rights Council to examine alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in relation to the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Its work involves gathering evidence and making findings and recommendations concerning alleged violations and international crimes.

The June report was presented in Geneva by its chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, a former High Court Chief Justice and Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. UN Geneva records the 23 June press conference at which Muralidhar and commissioners Florence Mumba and Chris Sidoti presented the report.

The Commission’s conclusions were not limited to Israeli conduct. It also examined Palestinian armed groups and concluded that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including conduct affecting Israeli children and child hostages. The Commission has also previously reported alleged grave abuses against Palestinians in Gaza by Hamas.

Israel rejected the report. Israel’s mission in Geneva dismissed the Commission’s conclusions and criticised the report as biased, arguing that it did not adequately account for Hamas and its conduct during the conflict. Israel’s position is separate from the Commission’s findings and is not a determination by the Commission’s report itself.

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Key Details

• Forum: UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
• Date: Report released 23 June 2026.
• Document: A/HRC/62/CRP.2.
• Period covered: 7 October 2023 to 31 March 2026.
• Chair: Srinivasan (Dr S.) Muralidhar, former High Court Chief Justice and Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India.
• Conclusions: The Commission attributed crimes against humanity, including persecution, and war crimes to Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza, and war crimes in the West Bank including East Jerusalem. It also reported conclusions concerning war crimes and crimes against humanity by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
• Israel’s position: Israel rejects the report in its entirety.
• Current status: The report has been published. Its findings are those of a UN investigative commission and are not a judicial decision or conviction.

Why It Matters

For a legal audience, the most important distinction is between an investigative commission’s findings and a court judgment.

A commission of inquiry can gather evidence, assess alleged conduct and characterise it under international law. It can conclude that particular conduct amounts to war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide within the scope of its mandate. But it does not function as a criminal court and does not convict individuals or impose criminal sentences.

That distinction matters in this case because the legal terms used in the report carry specific meanings under international law. A finding by an investigative body can contribute to accountability efforts, including investigations or proceedings before competent national or international institutions, but it does not itself establish criminal liability through a judicial verdict.

The report’s treatment of conduct by both Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups is also significant. The Commission’s mandate did not prevent it from examining alleged violations by different actors. Its findings concerning one side do not cancel or determine the legal significance of its findings concerning the other.

The Commission said it had called on Israel to stop violations and crimes affecting Palestinian children and to end its continuing presence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. It also said it would continue work directed towards accountability for states and individuals.

The report therefore sits within a broader accountability process rather than bringing one to an end. Its findings may be relevant to future investigations and proceedings, but the legal consequences of those findings depend on the competent institutions that may subsequently examine the evidence.

The report also carries an Indian legal connection. Its chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, is a former Indian High Court Chief Justice who presented the Commission’s findings in Geneva.

Closing

The June 2026 report is a significant document in the UN’s continuing investigation into alleged violations in the occupied Palestinian territory. The Commission has set out its conclusions concerning Israeli authorities and security forces while also documenting alleged international crimes by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.

But the legal status of the document remains important: it is an investigative commission report, not a court judgment or conviction. The Commission’s conclusions, Israel’s rejection of them and any future accountability proceedings should therefore be treated as distinct parts of an ongoing international legal process.