LONDON: Israel has committed a raft of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Territories, according to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
In a report published on Monday focusing predominantly on the West Bank, Israel was accused of “extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, intentionally targeting Palestinian civilians.”
Report co-author Chris Sidoti told journalists via video link at the UN in New York on Tuesday: “The State of Israel, through its political and military authorities, was responsible for the commission of crimes against humanity, of extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other sexual violence in the West Bank, including through the intentional targeting of Palestinian civilians.
“Notably, we found the crime against humanity of persecution … was inflicted on the basis of gender and of age — that is, in relation to Palestinian children.”
He added: “The extensive examination of the facts in the West Bank …brought us to this legal conclusion. It’s a significant legal conclusion, and one that we haven’t dealt with previously, to my mind … This examination of crimes against humanity in the West Bank is the most significant addition to the body of analysis that the commission, in its 18 reports over the last five years, has offered.”
Co-author Florence Mumba said there is a “broader strategy” of Israeli authorities working in tandem with Jewish settlers in “a concerted effort, almost ethnic cleansing” of the West Bank.
She added that it is the aim of the authorities and settlers “to get as much land as possible (and) get the Palestinians out of the area by ill-treating them, killing them, (using) sexual violence against them, killing their children.”
The commission’s chair, Srinivasan Muralidhar, highlighted a series of particularly “egregious” examples of violence against Palestinian civilians, saying the report found that “1,083 (were) killed and 10,940 were injured by Israeli forces in the West Bank including East Jerusalem” since Oct. 7, 2023.
“In one example, June 6, 2026, a 7-month-old baby was killed and the parents were injured. Video footage shows the father slowed down and stopped the car when approaching the soldiers, raising his hands.”
The baby, Muralidhar said, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier, and the parents were offered no medical assistance by the troops.
Muralidhar added that in “March 2026, Israeli forces fired at a car carrying a family of six in Tammun Tubas governorate. The mother, the father and two of the youngest sons were shot in the head and killed in the car, while the two older sons were injured and subsequently assaulted by the soldiers.
“We have (another) instance where a pregnant, eight-month pregnant woman was killed Feb. 9, 2025, whilst trying to flee with her husband and another relative from the Nur Shams refugee camp during an Israeli military operation in the area. The woman was shot at least twice in the back and pelvis whilst reportedly seeking help.”
The report said Israeli operations in the West Bank since June 2025 have led to the largest displacement of Palestinians in the area since 1967.
Muralidhar highlighted the Israeli use of airstrikes in conjunction with a broader policy of “seizing maximum land while minimizing the Palestinian population in relation to size, autonomy and viability” as being behind the displacement of 34,176 across the period.
He also noted the use of sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners, amid general poor behavior toward detainees by Israeli authorities, which has seen an “increase in sexual violence, including forced nudity, cavity searches and degrading treatment.”
Muralidhar said the report had raised a series of recommendations, including that Israeli authorities “end and reverse confiscation and appropriation of Palestinian property” and the taking of Palestinian land for military purposes.
He added that all confiscated land should be returned to its Palestinian owners, and insisted on the ending of all “rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence” against Palestinians.
Muralidhar praised the efforts of several countries, including Russia and China, for their continued support for a two-state solution, and the UK and Netherlands for their recent steps to ban trade from illegal settlements in the West Bank.
He called on all UN member states not to do anything that could assist the continuation of the settlements, but warned that while global public opinion is shifting, more needs to be done, especially in Israel and by the US.
“We do refer to the statements of (Israeli Finance Minister) Mr (Bezalel) Smotrich, where he has emphasized that there’s no question of recognizing … Palestine,” Muralidhar said.
“From Israel’s point of view, there’s no question of going back to a two-state solution. That’s very clear from the statements they’re making. So, this seems to drive the overall agenda that Israel had that’s getting clearer by the day.”
He added: “Unless there’s sufficient pressure brought upon (Israel) by the international community, and in particle the (UN) Security Council … we aren’t going to see any immediate resolution to the very, very grave crisis.”
Sidoti concluded: “The situation as it is today can’t last. It’s impossible. No matter what the current Israeli Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu … might think, the current situation is unsustainable for Israel and for Palestine.”
He said it is the international community’s responsibility to make sure that the situation in the West Bank is resolved “on the basis of justice and law.”