UN Panel Reports 74,000 Gaza Deaths and Finds Genocide Continued After Truce

A United Nations commission concluded on Monday that Israel continued to commit genocide in Gaza following the ceasefire brokered by the United States last October. The report, released by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, covers the period from the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, through September of this year. It asserts that Israeli authorities maintained "genocidal acts with the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in Gaza." Palestinian authorities state that more than 74,000 people have died in the conflict, which began after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel.

The commission documented specific military tactics used during the truce, including heavy munitions, drones, artillery, and sniper fire in densely populated areas. It noted that the "Yellow Line," originally designated as a temporary boundary, has encroached further into Gaza, effectively becoming a fixed border. The panel described this shift as evidence of Israel's expanding territorial control over the enclave.

Israel rejected the findings through its mission in Geneva, labeling the report part of a "misinformation campaign." Ambassador Daniel Meron stated in a statement that the effort to destroy the Jewish state continues through attempts to undermine Israel's legitimacy and deny its right to defend itself. This follows a September 2025 report by the same panel, which found that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials had incited genocidal acts, an accusation Israel previously called scandalous.

The inquiry also examined conditions in the West Bank, finding that the situation has deteriorated sharply. Airstrike deaths among Palestinians rose from six between 2008 and October 2023 to 254 between October 2023 and September 2026. Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said the intentional killing of civilians and destruction of homes there was part of a strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians.

Military operations in the West Bank since January 2025 have caused the largest displacement since 1967. The report says 34,176 Palestinians remained displaced as of August 2026. The panel also accused Israeli soldiers and prison guards of war crimes, including extermination, torture, and rape. It specifically documented six recent cases of sexual violence against male detainees from Gaza at the Sde Teiman military prison.

The commission criticized the Palestinian Authority as well, stating it targeted dissenting voices and that journalists and human rights defenders had been killed or injured. The report was submitted to the UN Security Council, which will now review the findings and the accompanying data on civilian losses and territorial changes in the region.