Israel Deliberately Targeted Children

A report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Gaza, as well as war crimes in the West Bank. The report, released on Tuesday, examines violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023.

According to the document, approximately 30% of those killed in the Gaza war were children. At least 20,179 children were killed between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, as a direct result of hostilities, accounting for 30% of total deaths.

Additionally, 44,143 children were injured, around 26% of the wounded. The commission noted that the actual number of children killed and injured is likely higher, estimating that 5,160 children remain under rubble, according to Save the Children.

Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar stated that evidence shows Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces. Israel called the report a 'libelous sham'.