Israel's Alleged Genocide in Gaza: U.N. Commission Report

T the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has determined that Israel "is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza."

A report published Tuesday stated that Israel committed four of the five genocidal acts in Gaza outlined by the 1948 U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

These acts include "killing Palestinians, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians, and imposing measures intended to prevent births," according to the Commission .

Israel has strongly rejected the report's findings and called for the Commission to be abolished.

"Israel categorically rejects this distorted and false report and calls for the immediate abolition of this Commission of Inquiry," said the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, claiming that those who published the report are "Hamas proxies."

Daniel Meron, Israel's representative to the U.N., also rejected the report, arguing that it "relies solely on Hamas falsehoods" and "cherry-picked data."

"Israel remains committed to international law, and as stated many times in the news, aims to dismantle Hamas, and invests many efforts and resources in minimizing harm to the civilian population, as well as in allowing and facilitating many humanitarian efforts," said Meron.

Read More : Israel's Policies and Actions in Gaza 'Meet the Legal Definition of Genocide,' Says Association of Scholars

The U.N. Commission of Inquiry report concluded "on reasonable grounds that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed and are continuing to commit" acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Commission also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of incitement to genocide.

Netanyahu and Gallant currently have arrest warrants issued against them by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024 for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Israel is also facing an ongoing case accusing the state of committing genocide, first submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by South Africa in December 2023.

Israel has repeatedly denied that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide, citing its right to defend itself.

A statement from Netanyahu's office called allegations of genocide "ridiculous" and a "blatant falsehood" during an address on Aug. 13.

On August 31, the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) passed a resolution stating that Israel's "policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide."

Citing "Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide" within its findings, the resolution argued that Israel's actions in response to the terrorist attack committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, have not only been directed against Hamas "but have also targeted the entire Gazan population."

A spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the resolution, calling it an "embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard."

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Tuesday that troops are expanding ground operations in Gaza City as part of a new phase of war approved in early August which has drawn international condemnation .

The update from the IDF, shared via social media, was accompanied by a map of Gaza showing extensive military presence in the Strip.

At a situational assessment in Gaza on Tuesday, IDF Chief Eyal Zamir said The operation in Gaza City is a significant step to carry out our highest moral and important duty - to return all the hostages home and to dismantle the military and governing capabilities of the Hamas terrorist organization.

The U.N. has said that almost one million Palestinians in Gaza City "are facing daily bombardment and compromised access to means of survival" following IDF displacement orders .

According to the U.N., an estimated 82% of Gaza is now under Israeli military occupation or displacement orders. There are also growing concerns about the malnutrition crisis in Gaza .

Read More : World Leaders React as U.N.-Backed Report Confirms Famine in Gaza

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) concluded in a report published on August 22 that famine is taking place in Gaza City , with the areas of Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis expected to reach the classification of famine by the end of September.

The Israel-Hamas war started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, including 428 adults and 146 children who have died from starvation and malnutrition, according to Gaza's Health Ministry .

In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by newsrealtime. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83% .

Contact us at letters@newsrealtime .

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U.S. envoy asks Israel to investigate the murder of an American man in the West Bank

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Tuesday that he had "asked Israel to aggressively investigate the murder" of Saif Musallet , a Palestinian American national who was visiting family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when "he was beaten to death."

"There must be accountability for this criminal and terrorist act," Huckabee said in a social media. post Saif was just 20 years old.

The family of Musallet, whose full name was Saifullah Kamel Musallet, told CBS News on Saturday that he was beaten to death on Friday by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

In a statement, they said he was killed in a confrontation with settlers while trying to protect his family's land in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, and that the settlers had surrounded him for more than three hours, blocking an ambulance and paramedics from reaching him.

The family's statement said his younger brother carried him to an ambulance after the group cleared, but that Musallet died before he was able to reach the hospital.

He had been due to return to his home in Tampa, Florida, this week, his relatives said.

The killing of Musallet comes amid an increase in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thameen Al-Kheetan, said on Tuesday.

"Israeli settlers and security forces have intensified their killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians "in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the past weeks," Al-Kheetan said.

He said that "during the first half of 2025, there have been 757 settler attacks that resulted in Palestinian casualties or property damage – a 13 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024."

"Israel must immediately stop these killings, harassment and home demolitions across the occupied Palestinian territory," Al-Kheetan said. "As the occupying power, Israel must take all feasible measures to ensure public order and safety in the West Bank. It is under the obligation to protect Palestinians from settler attacks and to end the unlawful use of force by its security forces. There must be thorough, independent and transparent investigations into all killings and all other alleged violations of international law. Those responsible must be held to account."

The Israel Defense Forces told CBS News on Wednesday that immediately "following the incident, a joint investigation was launched by the Israel Police and the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division."

The Israeli police did not immediately respond on Wednesday to a CBS News request for comment on the investigation.

Last week, the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on President Trump to hold Israel accountable for Musallet's death and "put America first."

This murder is only the latest killing of an American citizen by illegal Israeli settlers or soldiers," said Imam Abdullah Jaber, Executive Director of CAIR-Florida, in a statement. "Every other murder of an American citizen has gone unpunished by the American government, which is why the Israeli government keeps wantonly killing American Palestinians and, of course, other Palestinians. If President Trump will not even put America first when Israel murders American citizens, then this is truly an Israel First administration.

Other U.S. citizens who have been killed in the Israel-occupied West Bank include Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh , who died in 2022, and activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi , who was killed last year. Both were allegedly killed by Israeli forces, and the Israeli military has said it is investigating, but nobody has been held accountable for either of their deaths to date.

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