An international investigation committee appointed by the United Nations accused Israel on Monday of committing crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including the crime of "genocide," and of continuing to commit genocide in the Gaza Strip.
In its new report released ahead of the Israeli legislative elections scheduled for Tuesday, the committee concluded that "Israeli authorities and forces have committed crimes against humanity in the West Bank, which include genocide, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, in addition to persecution, based on intertwined discriminatory motives centered on nationality, race, and ethnic affiliation."
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights accused Israel on September 4 of forcibly displacing over 33,000 Palestinians from three camps in the West Bank in 2025, noting that this raises concerns about "the commission of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing."
The UN committee indicated a sharp deterioration in the situation in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, as 6 Palestinians were martyred in airstrikes from 2008 to October 6, 2023, while the number rose to 254 martyrs between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026.
The committee viewed in its new report that Israeli authorities have sought to impose "collective punishment" on the civilian population in the West Bank, considering that Israel has launched since October 7 a "generalized and systematic attack against civilians, through military operations bolstered by ongoing violence from settlers."
Genocide of Palestinians
The new chair of the committee, Indian Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated in a release that "the killings and deliberate injury of Palestinian civilians, in addition to the destruction of homes in the West Bank—coupled with Israel's ongoing denial of responsibility—are part of a wider strategy aimed at the genocide of Palestinians and their displacement, imposing unbearable living conditions upon them."
He added, "At the same time, Israel's expansion of its control over Gaza's territory continues to result in casualties among Palestinian civilians approaching or crossing the yellow line (which delineates the area under Israeli control)."
The International Court of Justice issued a ruling in January 2024, ordering Israel to prevent any act considered genocide in Gaza, warning of a "real and imminent risk" of "irreparable harm" to Palestinians.
The UN report also condemned the violence perpetrated by the Palestinian Authority against members of rival armed factions, in addition to suppressing civilian and political dissenters. It criticized the lack of prompt, effective, and neutral investigations into these violations.
Israeli Response
This independent committee, which was established in 2021, concluded last year that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza, while Israeli authorities deemed these accusations "false" and "antisemitic," the same description they applied to the new accusations of crimes against humanity in the West Bank.
Israel quickly rejected the findings of the report, as its ambassador in Geneva, Daniel Meron, viewed it as "an attempt to destroy the Jewish state" and "denying its basic right to exist."
The Israeli mission called on the international community to demand the "immediate resolution" of the investigation committee previously chaired by 2026 Nobel Peace Prize-winning South African lawyer Navi Pillay.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, with a Palestinian population of over 3 million, while more than 500,000 Israelis live in illegal settlements under international law, amid rising violence as Israeli general elections approach.