ISLAMABAD: A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council and the world’s largest professional association of genocide scholars have both concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The findings further expose alleged Israeli human rights violations but carry no immediate legal consequences.
In a report released Tuesday, the UN’s Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel said Israel’s actions in Gaza fulfil four of the five genocidal acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention, according to AP.
“Intent to destroy”
The panel, led by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, stated: “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
“It is clear there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry’s report shows #Israel has committed #genocide in #Gaza.https://t.co/UGjepPwmwo pic.twitter.com/rTJhFeKsvA
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) September 16, 2025
The commission called on the international community to take steps to end the genocide and hold Israeli officials accountable. It also attributed responsibility for the alleged crimes to Israel’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, citing incitement and policy decisions during the ongoing war in Gaza.
While the commission cannot take direct legal action, its findings may be used by prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or the UN’s International Court of Justice.
The report marks the final act of the three-member commission, which all announced plans to step down earlier this year, citing personal reasons.
Israel rejected the findings outright, calling the report “distorted and false.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry described the commissioners as “Hamas proxies” and said their conclusions were rooted in antisemitic bias. “This fake ‘report’ is an embarrassment,” the ministry said in a statement.
International Association of Genocide Scholars
Meanwhile, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, which includes over 500 members globally, many of them Holocaust experts, echoed the UN Commission’s conclusions in a resolution.
The organisation stated, “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.”
According to the Associated Press, Melanie O’Brien, the group’s president and a professor of international law, said, “People who are experts in the study of genocide can see this situation for what it is.”
The resolution passed with 86 per cent approval among voting members, although only 28 per cent of the association’s membership participated — a typical rate for such votes, according to its bylaws.
Israel has refused to cooperate with the UN commission, accusing it and the Human Rights Council of systemic anti-Israel bias.
Earlier this year, Israel’s key ally, the United States, withdrew from the council under the Trump administration.
