Current sectionIsrael NewsIsraeli forces used heavy munitions in densely populated areas despite mounting child casualties, a U.N. probe said, concluding that 20,179 children were killed. Israel dismissed the report as a 'libelous sham'Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeA displaced Palestinian boy peers through a tear in a tent wall, in Gaza City, May. Credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/ File PhotoA displaced Palestinian boy peers through a tear in a tent wall, in Gaza City, May. Credit: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa/ File PhotoIsraeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza and war crimes in the ⁠West Bank, an independent United Nations inquiry said on Tuesday.The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel examined ⁠violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023.Around 30 percent of those killed in the Gaza war were children, the report found. A previous report by the commission in September found that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts – accusations that Israel called scandalous. Haaretz PodcastInside Israel’s other war: fighting the quiet dismantling of democracyHaaretz PodcastInside Israel’s other war: fighting the quiet dismantling of democracytotal-- : --time0:00Israel's mission in Geneva said Israel rejected what it called the Commission's "second defamatory advocacy report"."Israel dismisses ‌this libelous sham," it said in a statement, adding that "every child deserves protection" and asserting that the report ignored "the brutal tactics of Hamas".The UN commission said that Palestinian children ‌were deliberately targeted and killed during the war, including after a ceasefire came into effect in October 2025. It said this was a key element establishing genocidal intent by Israeli authorities and security forces to destroy the Palestinian group, in whole or in part, in Gaza."The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces," said Srinivasan Muralidhar, the commission's chair, in a statement accompanying the report.The report found that the proportion of children killed was higher than in previous conflicts. Between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, at least 20,179 children were killed, around 30 percent of the overall death toll. By comparison, in hostilities in Gaza in 2008–2009 and 2014, children made up approximately 24 percent of conflict-related fatalities, the report said. Palestinians inspect the destruction caused by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/APPalestinians inspect the destruction caused by an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, May. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/APIsraeli forces continued to use high-payload munitions and weapons with wide-area effects in densely populated residential areas despite mounting child casualties, the commission said."This indicates that such attacks, which killed children in such high numbers, were intentional," it said. It said it believed children were targeted ⁠collectively because the Israeli security forces considered the civilian population as a whole to be associated with Hamas and other armed groups. A rebuttal shared by Israel's mission in Geneva said Israel "consistently strives to minimize harm to children even in situations of conflict" and that Israel rejected the suggestion it deliberately ‌targets children "in the strongest terms".Muralidhar said that by targeting children, Israel was undermining ⁠the capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future.Conditions imposed by Israel in Gaza, including widespread attacks, ‌repeated displacement and starvation caused by the blockade of aid, food and medicine, severely harmed children's health and development, resulting in preventable deaths and trauma, the report said.The inquiry also found that attacks on healthcare and reproductive facilities impacted the survival of newborns and reported increases in miscarriages, and that nearly all children in Gaza were ⁠reported to require psychological support.Israel's rebuttal said the report failed to mention Israel's role in facilitating vaccinations and the entry of medical staff, and the establishment of field hospitals. It accused Hamas of systematically diverting humanitarian aid and fuel for hospitals. Hamas has rejected such accusations.WEST BANKIn the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Commission found a sharp increase in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian children and documented evidence of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, during mass arrests and detention. IDF soldiers in the West Bank last year. Credit: IDF SpokespersonIDF soldiers in the West Bank last year. Credit: IDF SpokespersonIt said ‌Palestinian children, particularly boys, were subjected to systematic mistreatment in detention, including forced stripping, beatings and food deprivation.The commission concluded that the treatment constituted the crimes against humanity of torture and other inhumane acts causing great suffering or serious injury.Israel's rebuttal said the report's findings on the West Bank omitted ⁠context on the "constant terrorist threat" that it said Israeli security forces were responding to.In the NewsUN Inquiry Says Israel 'Deliberately' Targeted Gaza Children in Acts of GenocideThe Israeli Far-right's West Bank Land Grab and Why It's a Ticking Time BombHow Iran Is Using Lebanon to Engineer Its Major Mideast ComebackReport: Mossad Asked to Determine if Netanyahu's Aides Harmed Israel's SecurityDeafening Silence: Why Netanyahu Is Too Scared to Fight Trump's Iran DealRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIsrael Is Conducting a Systematic Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing in the West BankWhere Does Andy Burnham Stand on Israel and Palestine?Netanyahu's Mouthpieces Turn on Trump, Revealing a Deeper Israeli IngratitudeIsrael Is Bleeding Support in U.S. and Pouring Tens of Millions to Change ThatTrump's Iran Deal Castrates Netanyahu, but It's Still Catastrophic for IsraelReport: Netanyahu 'Likely' to Sabotage Iran Deal, U.S. Officials Tell Trump