A United Nations commission of inquiry has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe Israeli forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children during the military campaign in Gaza since October 2023, documenting over 20,000 child fatalities. The report, released by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, describes the scale of child deaths as “unprecedented” in modern conflict and cites forensic evidence of single sniper or drone shots to the head and upper torso. The Israeli government has rejected the findings outright, stating it does not intentionally target civilians and that all allegations are examined.

The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021, noted that it received cooperation from the State of Palestine and Gaza’s health ministry but not from Israel. In parallel, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a quarterly report condemning the “relentless” expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, warning that the E1 project poses an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state. Five European members of the Security Council—France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Latvia, and Denmark—jointly called on Israel to halt settlement activity and ensure accountability for settler violence. Israeli officials maintain that military operations target militants and that 96% of Palestinians killed in the West Bank in 2023-2024 were involved in terrorism, a claim contested by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.

The UN commission’s findings, if accepted by international legal bodies, could contribute to future accountability proceedings, though the commission itself does not prosecute. The report also documents systematic attacks on hospitals, schools, and orphanages, as well as arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence against children. In the West Bank, B’Tselem reported that 240 Palestinian children and adolescents have been killed since October 2023, the majority by Israeli soldiers, with no indictments filed. The group described a policy that effectively grants soldiers a “licence to kill” without accountability. The UN deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Ramiz Alakbarov, told the Security Council that all settlements are illegal under international law and must cease immediately, and that settler violence, access restrictions, and demolitions have caused the largest displacement crisis in the West Bank since 1967.

The reports arrive as a ceasefire in Gaza, declared eight months ago, remains in place but humanitarian conditions are dire, with 70% of the population lacking adequate shelter. Israeli military operations have intensified in the northern West Bank, displacing families from refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarm. The UN has warned that continued settlement expansion and military control over 70% of Gaza’s territory are shrinking civilian areas and entrenching occupation. The Security Council is expected to continue discussions on the implementation of Resolution 2803 (2025), which calls for the Palestinian Authority to resume responsibilities in Gaza. The UN commission has indicated it will preserve evidence for future legal processes, while European diplomats have signalled they will press for accountability mechanisms in upcoming council sessions.