Israel carried out "genocidal acts" against Palestinians by systematically destroying women's healthcare facilities during the conflict in Gaza, and used sexual violence as a war strategy, United Nations experts said in a report on Thursday.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report's findings, saying they were biased and antisemitic.
"Instead of focusing on the crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Hamas terrorist organization...the United Nations once again chooses to attack the state of Israel with false accusations," he said in a statement.
Israel disengaged from the Human Rights Council in February.
"Israeli authorities have destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, including by imposing measures intended to prevent births, one of the categories of genocidal acts in the Rome Statute and the Genocide Convention," said the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Those actions, in addition to a surge in maternity deaths due to restricted access to medical supplies, amounted to the crime against humanity of extermination, the commission said.
The report accused Israel's security forces of using forced public stripping and sexual assault as part of their standard operating procedures to punish Palestinians following the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023.
During a series of hearings held by the commission this week in Geneva, a Gaza nurse identified only as Said for his protection, said that Israeli forces had kidnapped him and made him publicly strip down to his underwear. During his captivity, he was beaten in the genitals, he said.
"This is physical abuse, but it's also psychological abuse. It's designed to humiliate," said Chris Sidoti, one of three members of a commission of inquiry into abuses committed in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israel has rejected the accusations.
"The IDF (Israeli Defence Force) has concrete directives ... and policies which unequivocally prohibit such misconduct", the permanent mission to the UN in Geneva responded in a statement, adding that its review processes are in line with international standards.
A previous report published by the Commission in June 2024 accused Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of serious rights violations in the October 7, 2023 attack. In March last year a team of United Nations experts said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" sexual violence, including rape, occurred at several locations during the militant group's assault.
Israel is party to the Genocide Convention and was ordered in January 2024 by the International Court of Justice to take action to prevent acts of genocide during the war against Hamas.
It is not party to the Rome Statute, which gives the International Criminal Court jurisdiction to rule on individual criminal cases involving genocide and crimes against humanity.
South Africa has brought a genocide case against Israel's actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.
Hamas carried out a cross-border raid into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a devastating war in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
© Thomson Reuters 2025.
26 Comments
WoodyLee
"" Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report's findings, saying they were biased and antisemitic. ""
The hypocrite Bibi the fox is the ONLY ANTISEMITE, This fox has destroyed Israel and Palestine as well only to keep his grip on power and stay out of jail.
WoodyLee
IDF male soldiers are posting photo's of themselves searching Palestinian women closets then wearing their undergarment and displaying it on their tanks and armored APC.
NB
These accusations against Israel are baseless.
NB
Where have you seen such photos?
NB
The agenda aimed at "cleansing the land from the Jews from the river to the sea" is a genocidal agenda.
GuruMick
NB...do you acknowledge the state of Israel gave injections to Ethiopian Jewish women to keep them infertile ?
The women were not told about the drug, or told it was a vaccination, and told they needed to accept this to enter Israel as Jewish immigrants.
The program continued even after moving to Israel.
Health whistleblowers were alarmed at the steep drop in birth numbers for Ethiopian women in Israel and exposed this eugenics plot to keep Israel white.
Man, that country has some bleak history.
GuruMick
Anyone else tired of Netanyahu and his "anti semiticism " card ?
GuruMick
Tik Toc has the photos and videos , images taken
by IDF crossdressers NB.
Self censorship....its a real thing...
Fos
I guess we all know by now. The guy you are referring to is awaiting every day orders from the Tel Aviv office on what sort of fabrication and manipulation has to put out against Palestinians. He does not have a clue about history or truth. Not to mentions morals. It is pretty clear by now.
wallace
Israel is also accused of genocide, destroying maternity hospitals and clinics, and destroying an IVF clinic, killing all the human eggs kept there.
bass4funk
Well, if the UN says it, it has to be true.
GuruMick
Netanyahu not doing well.
In Court on bribery charges, he yelled at the Judge and banged the desk.
Judge told him to be quiet.
Today, Times of Israel has a story on the former head of Shin Beit, Israels internal security service.
Says he has a lot of dirt on Netanyahu which he would release if he felt Netanyahu was breaking Israeli law.
Oh, Bibi....where did it all go so wrong ?
Dragon
The report was from a group of international human rights lawyers.
RichardPearce
A little challenge for supporters of the Israeli regime.
Make a list of ALL the major human rights organizations that are, according to you, antisemitic.
Add in the international institutions you say the same thing about.
Add in the people, like the world's most well-known autistic, you say the same thing about.
Now, look at that very very long list of those you say are racists, and ask yourself how likely it is that such a diverse group of people with varied experiences, from various cultures, of varied faiths INCLUDING Judaism, are all racists, compared to the possibility it is you who are the racist.
TokyoLiving
UN is right, like it or not..
GuruMick
Australian media saying the IDF attacks destroyed 4000 embryos.
Way to go Israel....nothing to see here.
NB
Israel, as a state, does not target civilians. It is fighting for the life of its people. The gonocide intentions and actions come from the side of the Hamas terrorists.
Release the Israeli hostages immediately!
NB
Then why did the Palestinian Arabs reject the UN resolutions 181 and 242?
NB
Do you care for Ethiopian Jewish women? Hamas wants to exterminate them all.
stormcrow
Investigate, gather evidence and prosecute.
NB
In Court on bribery charges, he yelled at the Judge and banged the desk.
Judge told him to be quiet.
He did not yell. But it is true that the court judges in Israel are hostile to the people. They side with Hamas and work for Hamas. Many professors in Israel, such as Ilan Pappe, are also traitors who work for Hamas. But all these people will not escape from their fate once Hamas wins, heavens forbid. Hamas will slaughter them all.
ohara
“UN experts”, say no more.
Paul Novax
Totally bizarre conspiracy theory promoted by the UN.
GuruMick
NB....ooh...comment of the day ..."Israeli judges work for Hamas "
I cant top that other than to say...I think Yetis control the world banking system.
Paul above...why would IDF bomb IV clinic ?
The bombed out building is not a "conspiracy theory "
Embryos are Hamas militants I suppose.
Capuchin
Israeli judges work for Hamas? Even by your standards that's a ridiculous statement. You get more and more desperate by the day.
GuruMick
Times of Israel reported Netanyahu bristled and raised his voice in anger and banged the table.
Thats a pro Israel news site.
Or....another Hamas "command and control centre "?
Actually, Times of Israel is very pro Israel but the nature of the current Israeli Govt. is so God awful it cannot but help report the daily malfeasance.
Readers comments on stories also informative as a reflection of right wing Israeli opinion.
Israel has a great range of views within its populace, at present censorship and such has the upper hand.