LONDON, 17 Sept. - (ANA) - A damning United Nations report released on Tuesday confirmed that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, nearly two years into its devastating war on the enclave, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

 

Navi Pillay, chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and a former International Criminal Court judge, declared that "genocide is occurring in Gaza".

 

She formally accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials of inciting and overseeing acts carried out "with the intent to destroy the Palestinian group" in the enclave.

 

The UN’s conclusion follows almost two years of warnings, evidence, and reports from Palestinians and respected rights organisations documenting Israel's actions, which have led to the starvation, abuse, and deliberate killing of at least 64,000 Palestinians since October 2023.

 

The report triggered widespread praise from pro-Palestinian voices worldwide, and a predictable rejection from Israel.

 

Daniel Meron, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, dismissed it as a "scandalous" and "fake" document, calling it a "libellous rant".

 

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the inquiry's findings, saying they "build on earlier rulings, including those of the International Court of Justice, and reflect an unprecedented level of brutality and determination to destroy Palestinian lives and existence, amounting to full-fledged genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity".

 

The ministry added that the conclusions had placed "a legal and moral obligation on all high contracting parties to the Geneva Conventions and the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide to act immediately and urgently".

 

It also urged the international community to refer Israeli leaders guilty of incitement to the International Criminal Court.

 

In the UK, prominent pro-Palestinian figures called on the government to reconsider its recent stance denying genocide in Gaza.

 

Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn urged Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to "come to Parliament, now, and explain why the government is still, shamefully, providing military support to Israel".

 

Labour MP Zarah Sultana said the report had "confirmed what was already clear", while the UK's Green Party echoed her remarks.

 

Irish rap group Kneecap, known for outspoken support of Gaza, wrote on X: "Today a UN Commission found: 'Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant have incited the commission of genocide. And he was welcomed to London like a King.’ F*** Keir Starmer."

 

French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan welcomed the report but criticised French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot for failing to comment. Legal scholar Nimer Sultany called the findings "the final nail in the coffin of genocidal denial".

 

Despite mounting evidence, Israel, backed by the US, has repeatedly denied targeting Palestinian civilians through bombardment, starvation, or other methods, and has rejected accusations of genocide.

 

Meanwhile, Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza City, with Defence Minister Israel Katz boasting that the enclave was "burning". Fears are mounting for civilians who have survived nearly two years of war, particularly women, children, people with disabilities, and those already weakened by hunger.

 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Israel to "stop this carnage" in a statement on Tuesday.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/17 September 2025 - - -