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A United Nations inquiry has concluded that Israel’s war on Gaza amounts to genocide, directly holding the Israeli state and top leaders accountable.

Chairwoman of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Navi Pillay said the commission’s report found Israel responsible for committing genocide.

Pillay said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and President Isaac Herzog were identified as responsible based on their statements and orders to initiate the war.

“We’ve identified the president, the prime minister, and the former minister of defense based on their statements and the orders that they’ve given,” Pillay said, adding that “Because these three individuals were agents of the state, under the law, the state is held responsible. So we say it’s [the] State of Israel that has committed genocide.”

The commission concluded that statements from Israeli leaders, combined with actions on the ground, demonstrated genocidal intent. The report stated: “The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”

"The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities intended to kill as many Palestinians as possible through its military operations in #Gaza since 7 October 2023 and knew that the means and methods of warfare employed would cause mass deaths of Palestinians, including children." pic.twitter.com/588aivZJAI

— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) September 16, 2025

Israeli Response

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the findings, calling them “fake” and accusing the authors of acting as “Hamas proxies.” In a post on X, the ministry said, “The report relies entirely on Hamas falsehoods, laundered and repeated by others. Israel categorically rejects this distorted and false report and calls for the immediate abolition of this Commission of Inquiry.”

Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Daniel Meron, condemned the report as “scandalous,” “fake,” and a “libelous rant.” This is not the first time Israel has been formally accused of genocide in Gaza. In 2023, South Africa filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide, which remains ongoing.

In April 2025, Amnesty International described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “live-streamed genocide” carried out with “specific intent” to wipe out Palestinians.

Civilian Deaths and Humanitarian Impact

The UN report also documented that Israeli forces “intentionally killed” civilians in Gaza through the use of “wide impact munitions.” It concluded that Israeli authorities had committed the crime against humanity of extermination.

“The Commission therefore concluded that the Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of extermination in the Gaza Strip by killing Palestinian civilians.

While the number of victims is not relevant for an act to constitute an act of genocide, the Commission notes that the number of victims may be taken into consideration to establish genocidal intent,” it said.

Israel’s war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacks in southern Israel killed 1,139 people and took more than 200 captive, with 48 still held in Gaza. Since then, Israeli bombardments and ground operations have killed at least 64,871 people and wounded 164,610, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

The commission called on Israel to enforce a “complete permanent” ceasefire, allow unhindered access to Gaza by UN agencies, end the “policy” of starvation, and halt the U.S.- and Israeli-backed GHF aid distribution system, which it said contributed to deaths and injuries of thousands of Palestinians.

It also urged Israel to allow access to the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, so that investigations can continue.

On the same day the findings were released, Israeli attacks on Gaza intensified. Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that the enclave was “on fire” as the military launched a ground invasion of Gaza City. Medical sources said at least 62 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday, 52 of them in Gaza City.

“It is clear there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”

UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry's report shows #Israel has committed #genocide in #Gaza.https://t.co/UGjepPwmwo pic.twitter.com/rTJhFeKsvA

— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) September 16, 2025