The United Nations (UN) stated that Israel deliberately targeted children in Gaza.
The UN Commission reported that Palestinian children were intentionally targeted and killed during the conflict, including after the ceasefire took effect in October 2025. This was a significant indication of the genocidal intent of Israeli authorities and security forces to destroy the Palestinian group, either wholly or partially, in Gaza. “The evidence suggests that Palestinian children were deliberately attacked and killed by Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muraleedharan, head of the commission, in a statement accompanying the report.
The report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry of the United Nations 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, accounting for about 30 percent of total deaths. In comparison, during the hostilities in Gaza in 2008–2009 and 2014, children represented about 24 percent of total conflict casualties.
Accusations of Deliberate Attacks and Israel’s Response
The Commission noted that Israeli forces continued to use high-explosive munitions and wide-area weapons in densely populated residential areas, despite the rising number of child casualties. “This indicates that such attacks, which resulted in the deaths of so many children, were deliberate,” the report states. It believes that children were collectively targeted as Israeli security forces viewed the civilian population as a whole as being associated with Hamas and other armed groups.
The Israeli mission in Geneva dismissed the report as “a slanderous fiction,” adding that “every child deserves protection” and claiming that the report ignores “Hamas’ brutal tactics.” In its response, Israel stated that the country “consistently seeks to minimize harm to children even in conflict situations” and “most resolutely” rejects the suggestion of deliberately targeting children. The response also claims that the report does not mention Israel’s role in promoting vaccination, facilitating the entry of medical personnel, and establishing field hospitals. Israel accused Hamas of systematically diverting humanitarian aid and fuel for hospitals, which Hamas denied.
On 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 detentions. According to its data, Palestinian children, especially boys, were systematically subjected to cruel treatment during detention, including forced stripping, beatings, and deprivation of food. The Commission concluded that such treatment constitutes crimes against humanity, namely torture and other inhumane acts that cause great suffering or serious injury. In its response, Israel stated that the report’s findings regarding the West Bank omitted the context of the “constant terrorist threat” that, according to it, the Israeli security forces were responding to.
Source: South China Morning Post