UN inquiry says Israel still committing genocide in Gaza

A UN-commissioned panel of independent experts said in a report released Monday, October 26, 2026, that the ceasefire in Gaza has not stopped what it calls genocide by Israel in the territory. The panel also accused Israeli forces of crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including torture and rape, according to the Associated Press.wsbradio.com

The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory concluded that Israel is "continuing to commit genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza," the AP reported via The Washington Post. Israel denies both the genocide and the sexual assault allegations. It had not responded to the report when it was published.wpxi.com+1

Territory expands after truce

The commission links much of the harm to Israel's push deeper into Gaza after the US-brokered ceasefire was signed in October 2025. Since then, Israeli-controlled territory has grown from 53% of the Strip to at least 60%, the commission said. Over the same period, Israeli fire along the advancing front killed at least 196 Palestinians, among them 18 women, 32 boys and 11 girls.newarab.com+1

The panel said it reached its conclusions after investigating seven cases between November 2023 and June 2026. In each case, Israeli forces caused bodily harm to Palestinians, often children, who did not appear to pose a threat.newarab.com

Allegations of sexual violence

The report accuses Israel and members of its security forces of war crimes and crimes against humanity in both Gaza and the West Bank, including extermination, torture, rape and persecution of civilians. The commission said it recently documented six cases of sexual violence by guards against male detainees from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military prison. It also described abuse of female detainees, including invasive strip searches of a pregnant woman. The AP said it could not independently confirm these accounts.wsbradio.com

A widening record

The commission first concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. A report it issued in June 2026 found that Palestinian children had been deliberately targeted. Israel's Foreign Ministry called that report "defamatory" and described the commission as "a fundamentally flawed mechanism" meant to single out Israel.un.org+1

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court or in other jurisdictions could use the commission's findings. The war began with the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people in Israel. Israel's campaign since then has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.wsbradio.com