Israel still committing atrocities in Gaza despite truce, UN panel says

A United Nations investigative panel has reported that Israeli actions against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip persist despite a truce that has lasted for twelve months. The commission stated that the Israeli military is still carrying out atrocities with an intent to destroy the Palestinian population in whole or in part, while also leveling accusations of widespread violations in the occupied West Bank.

The findings, presented to the UN General Assembly by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, outline an ongoing push by Israeli troops across the enclave. Since the truce began in October 2025, Israeli control over Gaza has grown from roughly 53 percent of the area to a minimum of 60 percent. Panel chairman Srinivasan Muralidhar noted that this creeping expansion has proved deadly for residents near the demarcated boundary known as the Yellow Line, which separates Israeli-held sectors from the remainder of the territory.

Investigators documented that Israeli gunfire near this moving perimeter has resulted in the deaths of no fewer than 196 civilians, among them 43 minors. In total, figures from local health officials indicate that more than 1,400 Palestinians have died in Gaza during the twelve months following the cessation of major hostilities.

Beyond the coastal strip, the report detailed severe abuses carried out across the West Bank, concluding that actions by armed forces alongside extremist settlers constitute a systematic assault on the civilian populace. The panel accused authorities of crimes against humanity, listing abuses such as extermination, torture, rape, sexual violence, and systemic persecution. Investigators argued that coordinated actions across multiple towns and villages demonstrate an organized official policy rather than isolated misconduct.

The inquiry noted a dramatic escalation in the use of aerial bombardment in the West Bank. Israeli strikes caused 254 fatalities between autumn 2023 and September 2026, a sharp increase from the six deaths recorded during the previous fifteen years. Furthermore, the inquiry recorded that over 34,000 residents have been forced from their homes in the territory, marking the largest wave of displacement witnessed there since the 1967 war.

Israel strongly dismissed the report, with its diplomatic mission in Geneva demanding that the investigative body be disbanded. Israeli representatives denounced the panel on social platforms, arguing that it operates an agenda designed to delegitimize the country. Officials in Israel have continually rejected accusations of genocidal conduct and allegations of sexual abuses committed by service members.

The three-person inquiry was created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to review potential breaches of international law across the region. While it possesses no prosecutorial authority of its own, its compiled evidence may serve as documentation for international legal bodies in future cases.