Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence against Palestinians, while continuing to commit genocidal acts in Gaza, a United Nations commission of inquiry said in a report submitted to the UN General Assembly.

The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel documents killings, serious physical and psychological harm, forced displacement and restrictions on civil liberties in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The commission said Israeli authorities and forces continued to commit genocidal acts in Gaza after a ceasefire agreement, with the intent to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part. Its findings represent the commission's

The report found a sharp increase in Palestinian deaths from Israeli airstrikes in the occupied West Bank. Six Palestinians were killed in airstrikes between 2008 and October 6, 2023, compared with 254 between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026.

The commission said Palestinians were being targeted on the basis of their nationality, race, ethnicity, gender and age.

It also concluded that Israeli military operations, alongside sustained settler violence, formed a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population.

“The intentional killing and injuring of Palestinian civilians and destruction of homes in the West Bank combined with Israel’s persistent denial of responsibility form part of a broader strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians and impose conditions of life that are unliveable,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission.

The report documented torture, reproductive violence, rape and other forms of sexual violence, saying such acts were used to displace, subjugate and destabilize Palestinians. It also said Israeli forces had deliberately killed Palestinian children and inflicted serious physical and psychological harm on them.

The commission said Israeli policies had sought to expand territorial control while reducing the Palestinian population's presence and undermining its autonomy and ability to sustain a viable community.

Military operations launched since January 2025 had caused the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967, the report said. As of August 2026, 34,176 Palestinians remained displaced.

Muralidhar said the pursuit of territorial control at the expense of the Palestinian population was rooted in longstanding policies and practices.

He added that equating Palestinian statehood with a threat to Israel's existence was obstructing efforts to realize the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.

The report said Israeli forces continued to kill and injure Palestinians in Gaza despite the ceasefire, including people approaching or crossing the so-called Yellow Line, which marks areas of Israeli military control.

The commission said the continued expansion of Israeli territorial control was exposing civilians to further harm.

Its findings raise concerns about civilian protection and the implementation of international humanitarian law during the ceasefire.

The report also criticized the Palestinian Authority for targeting dissenting Palestinians and said the killing and injury of journalists and human rights defenders had narrowed civic space.

Muralidhar said the authority had failed to conduct effective and impartial investigations into killings and cases involving unnecessary or disproportionate force since October 7, 2023.

The commission called on the authority to stop targeting human rights defenders, investigate alleged violations independently and provide remedies, including compensation where appropriate, to victims of wrongful killings and injuries caused by Palestinian security forces.

The commission urged Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice's July 2024 advisory opinion and end its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory.

It called for the removal of Israeli settlements and settlers, an end to the confiscation of Palestinian property and the return of confiscated land to its owners. It also called for an end to the reservation of Palestinian land for military purposes.

The report assessed the documented conduct under international humanitarian law, international human rights treaties and the Rome Statute. It concluded that the threshold for war crimes and crimes against humanity had been met, while arguing that international action was needed to secure accountability.

The commission urged the international community to protect Palestinian civilians, pursue accountability for alleged violations and uphold Palestinians' right to self-determination. (ILKHA)