UN report says Israeli forces targeted Gaza children

A United Nations investigation has accused Israeli authorities and security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children, stating this is a key factor in establishing genocidal intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza. The report, released on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, alleges these actions constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the occupied West Bank.

The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council, found that between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, at least 20,179 children were killed in Gaza, representing approximately 30 percent of the overall death toll. Investigators stated this proportion is higher than in previous conflicts in the territory. The report asserts that Israeli forces continued to use high-payload munitions in densely populated areas despite mounting child casualties, indicating such attacks were intentional. It also claims that targeting continued after a ceasefire took effect in October 2025.

Srinivasan Muralidhar, the Indian judge who chairs the inquiry, said that by targeting children, Israel is attacking the very...