United Nations, March 13, 2025: Israel has committed “genocidal acts” against Palestinians in Gaza by systematically destroying women’s healthcare facilities and using sexual violence as a war tactic, according to a United Nations report released Thursday.
The report, compiled by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, stated that Israeli authorities have “destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza”—a category of genocidal acts defined under the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention. The commission further highlighted a sharp rise in maternal deaths due to restricted access to medical supplies, which it classified as a crime against humanity of extermination.
The report also accused Israeli security forces of employing forced public stripping and sexual assault to punish Palestinians following the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel.
Israel rejected the allegations, with its permanent mission to the UN in Geneva stating that IDF directives and policies strictly prohibit such misconduct, and that Israel’s internal review processes meet international legal standards.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the findings as “biased and antisemitic,” criticizing the UN for allegedly focusing on Israel while ignoring Hamas’ war crimes. Israel had disengaged from the UN Human Rights Council in February 2025.
South Africa has brought a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January 2024 ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in its military operations against Hamas.
While Israel is a signatory to the Genocide Convention, it is not a party to the Rome Statute, which governs the International Criminal Court (ICC)—meaning the ICC cannot prosecute Israeli individuals unless referred by the UN Security Council.
The Gaza conflict erupted after Hamas’ cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed, and 251 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel launched a massive military campaign that has resulted in over 48,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza health officials.
