UN Report Accuses Israel of Genocide in Gaza, Ethnic Cleansing Threat in Hebron

A UN commission has accused Israel of continuing to commit "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, established by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021, released its report on Monday, October 26. Israel has vehemently rejected the allegations, calling the report a "lying campaign" aimed at demonizing the state and demanding the commission's dissolution.

The commission claims Israel's actions are intended "to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinian people in Gaza." It attributes the primary cause of Palestinian deaths post-ceasefire to expanded IDF operations and an increase in Israeli control over Gaza's territory from 53% to 60%. The report states at least 196 Palestinians, including 18 women and 32 boys, died during the period under review.

Separately, the report addresses accusations against Israeli soldiers and prison guards for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Judea and Samaria. These include extermination, torture, rape, sexual violence, and persecution of civilians. The commission also documented six instances of sexual violence by Israeli guards against male detainees in Gaza held at the Sde Teiman detention center.

The Associated Press noted it could not verify the commission's evidence, including claims of sexual abuse against female Palestinian prisoners. Amidst IDF operations in Hebron, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a separate warning about the threat of "ethnic cleansing" against Palestinian residents in Judea and Samaria. Türk condemned collective punishment as a grave violation of international law and expressed serious concerns about potential "ethnic cleansing" due to threats to destroy entire neighborhoods.