International investigation indicates senior Israeli authorities instigated acts amounting to genocide within Gaza region
United Nations Commission of Inquiry Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza
In a groundbreaking report, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory has concluded that Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip. The commission, led by South African jurist Navi Pillay, was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate crimes against humanity and possible genocide in the region.
The 72-page legal analysis is the strongest U.N. finding to date, but the body is independent and does not officially speak for the United Nations. The commission's evidence includes interviews with victims, witnesses, doctors, verified open-source documents, and satellite imagery analysis compiled since the war began.
The report accuses top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of inciting acts that meet four of the five criteria for genocide. These acts include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
One of the most damning pieces of evidence is the commission's finding that statements by Netanyahu and other officials are 'direct evidence of genocidal intent.' The report cites examples of killings, aid blockages, forced displacement, and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding.
Israel has strongly denied the allegations, with its ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Daniel Meron, calling the report 'scandalous' and 'fake.' Meron accused the commission of being authored by 'Hamas proxies.' Israel has also accused the commission of having a political agenda against Israel and declined to cooperate with it.
The responsibility for these atrocity crimes, according to the report, lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons. Navi Pillay, head of the Commission of Inquiry, expressed hope that U.N. rights chief Volker Turk and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would read the report and 'be guided by the facts.'
The report comes as part of the Gaza Strip is suffering from famine, according to a global hunger monitor. The subsequent war in Gaza has killed more than 64,000 people, according to Gaza health officials. Navi Pillay, head of the Commission of Inquiry, compared the situation to the Rwanda genocide where more than 1 million people were killed in 1994.
Israel is currently fighting a genocide case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The deadly 7 October, 2023, Hamas attack resulted in the death of 1,200 people and 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the report's findings, stating that they misinterpreted his words and whitewashed Hamas's atrocities.
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