UN accuses Israel of committing 'genocide' in the West Bank and continuing it in Gaza
A UN committee accuses Israel of committing genocide in the West Bank and Gaza, while the Hebron municipality announces the displacement of thousands of civilians.
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
An UN-mandated international commission of inquiry accused Israel yesterday of committing crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including the crime of “genocide,” and of continuing to carry out genocide in the Gaza Strip. This independent commission, established in 2021, concluded last year that Israel was committing “genocide” in Gaza.
In its new report, released ahead of Israel’s scheduled legislative elections, the commission concluded that “Israeli authorities and forces committed crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including genocide, torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, as well as persecution, based on intersecting discriminatory motives centered on nationality, race, and ethnic affiliation.”
The UN commission pointed to a sharp deterioration in the situation in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. While six Palestinians were killed in air raids between 2008 and October 6, 2023, the number rose to 254 between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026.
The commission stated in its new report that Israeli authorities sought to impose “collective punishment” on the civilian population in the West Bank in response to the October 7, 2023, attacks. It considered that Israel has since launched a “widespread and systematic attack against civilians, through military operations bolstered by continuous violence by settlers.”
However, the commission’s new chair, Indian national Srinivasan Muralidhar, said in a statement that “the deliberate killings and injuries of Palestinian civilians, along with the destruction of homes in the West Bank, coupled with Israel’s persistent denial of responsibility, fall within a broader strategy aimed at the genocide, displacement, and imposition of unbearable living conditions on Palestinians.”
He added, “At the same time, Israel’s continued expansion of its control over Gaza’s territory continues to cause Palestinian civilian casualties as they approach or cross the yellow line (which demarcates the area under the control of Israeli forces).”
Meanwhile, the Hebron municipality announced yesterday that more than 3,000 people had been displaced due to the ongoing Israeli military operation in the city, the largest in the occupied West Bank. The municipality said the operation, which began the day before, led to the displacement of 3,189 people, including more than 200 infants and 32 people with disabilities, in response to an attack carried out by two Palestinian militants that killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near the city.
Israeli forces entered the Ein al-Der Baha neighborhood, from which the attackers originated, and ordered residents to evacuate their homes and leave the area, following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to carry out a wide-scale military operation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
