Israeli authorities and forces have continued to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory even after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, a United Nations commission of inquiry has said.
In a report presented to the UN General Assembly, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israeli military operations and settler violence in the West Bank were part of a coordinated attack against Palestinians, aimed at entrenching settlements, annexing Palestinian territory and displacing its population.
The Commission, Chaired by Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar, said more than 75,000 Palestinians, including at least 21,500 children and 11,000 women, had been killed across the occupied Palestinian territory since October 7, 2023, the day Hamas carried out an attack in Israel, killing 1,200 people. It said the death toll had continued to rise despite the October 2025 ceasefire.
“Failure to act now is particularly egregious against the backdrop of the staggering death toll, which has continued to rise since the so-called ceasefire,” said Justice Muralidhar in his statement at the UN on October 26.
In Gaza, Israeli forces have continued expanding their territorial control, resulting in the killing and injuring of Palestinian civilians, including children, who approach or cross the Yellow Line, which separates Israel- military controlled Gaza from the Palestine-ruled parts of the enclave, he said.
The findings contradicted claims by the Board of Peace in its May report to the Security Council that the ceasefire had largely held and brought enormous relief to civilians.
The Justice said the situation in the West Bank had deteriorated significantly since October 2023. The commission concluded that Israel had committed crimes against humanity, including extermination, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence. It also accused Israeli authorities of persecution through discriminatory rules of engagement that applied exclusively to Palestinians.
The report traced the roots of Israeli violence to policies dating back to the 1947-48 war, arguing that Israel had sought to maximise territorial control while minimising the Palestinian population through displacement and the use of lethal force.
The report also documents the expansion of Israeli military operations in the West Bank, including air strikes and the destruction of refugee camps. It says military operations since January 2025 have resulted in the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, with 34,176 people still displaced as of August 2026.
Justice Muralidhar, addressing the gathering via a video link, also criticised Palestinian security forces for using unnecessary or disproportionate force against Palestinians in the West Bank. It said the Palestinian Authority had failed to conduct effective and impartial investigations into killings and provide remedies to victims.
Calling on Israel to end its occupation and comply with the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion, Justice Muralidhar urged Member States to stop providing assistance that could sustain the occupation and settlements. He also called on States to use all available means to prevent and punish genocide and support the International Criminal Court.
He said he was addressing the committee through a video statement because he had not received a U.S. visa despite efforts to meet the requirements.
Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Danny Danon, in his response, rejected the commission’s findings, describing the report as “works of historical fiction”. He accused the commission of “seeking to challenge Israel’s legitimacy”, and said it had taken “terrorist talking points and turned them into an official UN document.”
Justice Muralidhar, in his concluding remarks, defended the Commission’s work, saying its findings were based on “painstakingly gathered evidence”.
“The evidence gathering protocols [of the commission] were aligned with those of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. The Commission followed the highest professional standards and reached conclusions only after satisfying itself of the evidence,” he said.
He added that the commission was ready to share its evidence with any adjudicatory body seeking to investigate the allegations. “Israel has refused to cooperate with the Commission and has denied it access to the occupied Palestinian territory since its work began.”
Published – October 30, 2026 06:07 pm IST
