UN investigation accuses Israel of genocide and crimes against humanity

UN Investigation accuses Israel of crimes against humanity October 27, 2026In the name of the United Nations, investigators have accused Israel of crimes against humanity in the West Bank. Among these is the accusation of "genocide," the Independent International Commission stated in a report published in New York on Monday. Israel is also continuing to commit "acts of genocide" in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli authorities and the Israeli army have committed crimes against humanity such as "genocide, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence" in the West Bank, the Commission further explained. Israel has led a "widespread and systematic attack" on civilians in the West Bank through military operations, reinforced by ongoing violence by the settlers. The Israeli representative in Geneva stated that the report is part of the Commission's "disinformation campaign" to demonize the State of Israel and portray its mere existence as criminal. Situation in the West Bank has dramatically worsened The Commission's new report focuses on killings as well as physical and psychological harm caused by Israeli and Palestinian security forces since October 2023. It concludes that the situation in the West Bank has significantly deteriorated since the radical Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities had the intention to "collectively punish" the civilian population in the West Bank due to the Hamas attack. "The fact that Palestinian civilians are targeted in various places in the West Bank indicates a high degree of coordination and organized planning and is the result of state policy," the report states. The conduct of the Israeli authorities indicates that they "knew and intended the violence of the settlers" and that it was part of a "widespread and systematic attack" in the West Bank. Commission: No right to self-determination for Palestinians "The intentional killing and wounding of Palestinian civilians as well as the destruction of homes in the West Bank, in connection with Israel's persistent refusal of any responsibility, are part of a broader strategy to exterminate and expel Palestinians and create living conditions that are unbearable," stated the Chair of the Commission, Indian judge Srinivasan Muralidhar. "The attempt to equate Palestinian statehood with a threat to the existence of Israel blocks any viable attempt to realize the right to self-determination of the Palestinians." The independent commission established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 under the leadership of Navi Pillay had already accused Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip last year. Israel reacted angrily to the accusation. The Commission's task is to investigate possible human rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. The relationship between Israel and the UN has been extremely tense for years. "Civil and political opposition is suppressed" In their attack on Israel, Hamas fighters and their allies killed a total of 1221 people on October 7, 2023, and took another 251 as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with a massive military operation in the Gaza Strip, in which more than 74,200 people were killed according to the Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by Germany, the EU, the USA, and some Arab states. With regard to the Palestinian Authority, the new report states that civil and political opposition is being suppressed. The Palestinian Authority is struggling with credibility and legitimacy and targets Palestinians who express "divergent civil and political views." This leads to killings. Meanwhile, according to Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip on Monday, five people were killed in Israeli air raids, including a girl. Within 24 hours, 13 people were killed and about 60 were injured, said a spokesman for the Hamas Civil Defense.