Gaza Strip: More than 20,000 Palestinian children have been killed since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, a United Nations commission of inquiry said on Tuesday, June 23.
The commission said its latest investigation supports its earlier finding that genocide was committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
The findings were detailed in a 100-page report released by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The report examined alleged violations against Palestinian children between October 7, 2023, and March 31, 2026.
Presenting the report in Geneva, commission chair Justice S Muralidhar said investigators had found evidence indicating that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted during Israeli military operations.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” Muralidhar said.
According to the report, more than 44,000 children were also injured during the period under review, with children accounting for nearly 30 per cent of all deaths recorded in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The commission said child fatalities resulted from airstrikes using high-yield explosives as well as attacks involving drones, sniper fire and other military operations. It concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces were responsible for crimes against humanity, including persecution, and war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
“The report released today further substantiates our finding on genocide,” Muralidhar said.
Impact on children
The report said the conflict had caused extensive physical, psychological and social harm to Palestinian children.
According to the commission, more than 58,000 children lost one or both parents between October 2023 and October 2025. The inquiry also cited repeated displacement, severe injuries, malnutrition and disruption of healthcare services as major consequences of the war.
The report stated that damage to educational infrastructure had severely affected access to learning across Gaza. It said most schools and universities in the territory had either been damaged or destroyed, disrupting education for thousands of children.
The commission also raised concerns about attacks on healthcare facilities, including maternity and neonatal centres, which it said had affected access to medical care for mothers and newborns.
Humanitarian conditions
The report was released as the United Nations renewed warnings over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said nearly 1.7 million displaced Palestinians, representing about 80 per cent of Gaza’s population, are living in almost 1,600 displacement sites under extremely difficult conditions.
Citing assessments by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said around 600,000 people lacked adequate access to drinking water. He added that many sites faced sanitation problems, fire hazards, rodent infestations and accumulated waste.
Dujarric also referred to a UNICEF statement reporting that a 17-year-old girl, one of its Youth Champions, was killed while travelling to sit for a high school examination.
Separately, Palestinian officials said more than 2,700 families have been completely wiped from the civil registry since the start of the war, highlighting the scale of civilian losses in Gaza.
West Bank findings
The commission also examined developments in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where it reported an increase in violations affecting Palestinian children.
The report cited allegations of arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and escalating settler violence. It further alleged that such actions contributed to unlawful territorial expansion.
Accountability urged
The commission called on governments and international organisations to support accountability efforts and ensure compliance with international law.
Muralidhar said the inquiry welcomed judicial investigations launched in several countries concerning events in Gaza and expressed hope that its recommendations would be considered by UN member states and other international bodies.
The report also reiterated earlier findings that Hamas committed serious abuses against Palestinians in Gaza, including unlawful killings, torture and repression during the conflict.
Israel has repeatedly rejected allegations of genocide and war crimes, describing previous findings by UN investigators as politically motivated and lacking credibility.
