Gaza has crossed 1,000 days of Israel's military offensive, with a United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry documenting what it describes as widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The 88-page report, released on June 18, was prepared under the leadership of Indian jurist and former High Court Chief Justice S. Muralidhar. It examines the impact of the war on Palestinian children and concludes that Israeli military operations have deliberately targeted conditions necessary for their survival.
Gaza's children under fire
One of the incidents highlighted in the report concerns the killing of a 10-day-old infant on April 12, 2024. According to the commission's findings, the child was being breastfed inside a tent when an Israeli quadcopter drone equipped with thermal imaging allegedly identified the mother and infant. The report states that a shot fired from the drone struck only the baby's head while leaving the mother physically unharmed. The commission presents the case as evidence supporting its conclusion that children have been deliberately targeted as part of what it characterises as a genocidal strategy against future generations of Palestinians.
Justice Muralidhar, who headed the inquiry, is widely known in India for his human rights jurisprudence. During a judicial career spanning more than two decades, he served as a judge of the Delhi High Court and the Punjab and Haryana High Court before becoming Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. He was part of the landmark 2009 Delhi High Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality, played a key role in securing convictions in cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 1987 Hashimpura massacre, and criticised the police and administration during hearings on the 2020 Delhi communal violence. His transfer by the Union government shortly after those observations generated widespread controversy.
According to the commission, at least 20,179 children have been killed and 44,143 seriously injured in Gaza since October 7, 2023, as a result of Israeli military operations. Israel did not cooperate with the investigation, but the commission says it assembled evidence through survivor testimonies, satellite imagery, digital battlefield analysis, emergency forensic evidence and other material collected from Jordan and Geneva.
Using figures available until October 2025, the report states that the number of children killed amounts to nearly two per cent of Gaza's estimated child population of 1.2 million. It records that at least 5,031 children under the age of five have been killed, including 1,029 infants below one year of age and around 420 newborn babies. The commission believes the actual number of child casualties is considerably higher than officially documented because many victims remain unaccounted for beneath destroyed buildings. Save the Children estimates that around 5,160 children are still trapped under rubble. The report further states that by the end of 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinian children had undergone amputations without anaesthesia.
Definition of genocide
The commission argues that the legal definition of genocide under international law extends beyond mass killings. It states that deliberate measures intended to destroy the biological continuity of a protected population and prevent the survival of future generations also fall within the scope of genocide.
According to the report, Israel has adopted three principal strategies to achieve this objective in Gaza.
The first is the systematic destruction of healthcare infrastructure essential for childbirth and child survival. The report alleges repeated attacks on maternity hospitals, neonatal intensive care units and specialised paediatric facilities, resulting in increased infant mortality.
The second is the denial of life-saving resources. The commission states that repeated interruptions to electricity, medical oxygen and fuel supplies required to operate incubators caused the deaths of newborn babies.
The third is the deliberate use of starvation. According to the report, Israel has severely restricted the entry of infant formula, clean drinking water and other essential humanitarian supplies into Gaza, pushing tens of thousands of children under five into severe malnutrition and starvation.
The commission also states that Palestinians livestreamed the destruction they experienced throughout the conflict, while some Israeli soldiers allegedly uploaded videos celebrating military operations. Among the material reviewed by investigators were videos allegedly showing soldiers destroying children's toys and mocking them. The commission also recorded testimony from 17 doctors who worked in hospitals across Gaza.
The killings continue despite ceasefire
According to the report, violence against Palestinian children has continued despite the ceasefire that officially came into effect in October 2025. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder is cited as stating that Israeli forces have killed 265 children since the ceasefire began.
The report alleges that Israeli forces established a new security boundary known as the "Yellow Line" after the ceasefire. It says the line is not clearly marked on the ground and claims that snipers have shot children who crossed it unintentionally.
Among the cases highlighted is the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab, whose death drew international attention. The report presents her case as one of several examples of children allegedly being deliberately targeted.
The commission also documents extensive human rights violations against Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. It states that 213 children have been killed in the West Bank during the reporting period.
The report further highlights Israel's continued use of administrative detention against minors, under which children can be imprisoned indefinitely without formal charges. According to the findings, 51 per cent of Palestinian children currently held in Israeli custody are detained under this system.
The commission's conclusions are supported by findings from Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem. Its independent investigation states that the number of Palestinian children killed in the West Bank since October 7 represents the highest level recorded since Israel occupied the territory in 1967. B'Tselem also alleges that children posing no threat were killed by snipers and drones, while Israeli forces deliberately obstructed emergency medical treatment for injured children.
Children in detention
The commission also documents allegations of sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinian children held in Israeli detention facilities. It alleges that children have been subjected to intimidation, forced public stripping, severe physical assaults and degrading treatment as part of a systematic pattern of abuse.
According to the report, repeated attacks on schools and orphanages have disrupted education and eliminated safe spaces for orphaned children. The deaths of parents, repeated displacement, continuous bombardment, and the absence of secure shelters have, it says, produced what it describes as an "occupied psyche" among Palestinian children, inflicting profound psychological trauma across an entire generation.
The commission argues that these conditions have destroyed children's sense of safety, severely affected their mental health and undermined their creativity, education and hope for the future.
Based on its findings, the commission concludes that the documented actions constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. It argues that despite extensive documentation of alleged crimes against Palestinian children, Israeli military operations have continued, raising serious questions about the international community's response to what it characterises as an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.