A United Nations commission of inquiry says Israel continues to deliberately target and kill Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and war crimes in the occupied West Bank.In a report published on Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel examined Israeli violations against Palestinian children since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe report found that about 30 percent of people killed in Gaza since the start of the war were children.The report noted that Israel’s targeting of neonatal and maternity care centres during its war on Gaza directly endangered Palestinians’ reproductive future and the survival of newborns – driving a rise in miscarriages, birth defects and lasting vulnerabilities.It found that Israel’s aid blockade in Gaza last year also took a severe toll on Palestinian children, causing starvation-related deaths and a rise in disease as immunisation rates fell.“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission, said.“Even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law.”The commission was established on May 27, 2021, during a special session of the UN Human Rights Council. It was …
