An independent United Nations commission has accused the Israeli regime of committing genocide by attacking civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza.
The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Tuesday accused the Israeli regime of committing genocide by targeting civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza.
The commission, led by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, will present its full findings to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 17, 2025.
"Israel has devastated Gaza's education system and destroyed over half of its religious and cultural sites," stated the UN Commission in its report.
The three-member panel accused Israeli forces of war crimes, including directing attacks against civilians and committing willful killings at educational facilities.
"In targeting civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces have committed the crime against humanity of extermination," the report concluded.
While the destruction of cultural property, such as schools, is not inherently genocidal, the commission noted that such actions may suggest an intent to destroy a protected group.
“There is mounting evidence that Israel is carrying out a deliberate and systematic campaign to eliminate Palestinian life in Gaza," said Pillay in a statement.
The report highlighted Israeli attacks on religious sites used as refuges, resulting in hundreds of deaths, including women and children.
The commission’s investigation examined attacks on schools, mosques, and cultural institutions for violations of international law. It found that Israel has destroyed over 90% of school and university buildings in Gaza and more than half of its religious and cultural sites.
Beyond Gaza, the report noted increased Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, alongside rising harassment of students and settler violence, further damaging Palestinian education and life.
Israel withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025, accusing it of bias.
The Israeli military resumed bombardment of Gaza on March 18, killing thousands of Palestinians, and injuring many others, after it shattered the 2-month ceasefire agreement with Hamas and the deal on the exchange of Israeli captives with Palestinian abductees.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 54,927 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and another 126,615 individuals injured in the brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged coastal territory.
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