«Israel ha cometido genocidio contra los palestinos en Gaza», afirmó el 16 de septiembre de 2025 en un informe la Comisión Internacional Independiente de Investigación sobre los Territorios Palestinos Ocupados, que urgió asimismo a Israel a cumplir con sus obligaciones legales en virtud del derecho internacional «para poner fin a tal atrocidad y castigar a los responsables».
La Comisión, establecida por el Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU, basó sus conclusiones en pesquisas exhaustivas sobre lo ocurrido en Gaza desde los ataques de Hamás en territorio israelí el 7 de octubre de 2023 hasta el 31 de julio de 2025.
Al matar, causar lesiones graves a la integridad física o mental, someter deliberadamente a condiciones de vida que hayan de acarrear la destrucción total o parcial de los palestinos, e imponer medidas destinadas a impedir la natalidad, las autoridades y las fuerzas israelíes cometieron cuatro de los cinco actos genocidas definidos en la Convención para la Prevención y la Sanción del Delito de Genocidio, de 1948, según indicaron los expertos de la Comisión en el informe.
«Es evidente que existe la intención de destruir a los palestinos de Gaza mediante actos que cumplen los criterios establecidos en la Convención sobre el Genocidio», declaró la presidenta de la Comisión, Navi Pillay.
El informe de la Comisión también se refiere a la responsabilidad internacional ante la situacion en Gaza, señalando que la escasa reacción ante las pruebas del genocidio puede considerarse como complicidad.
En diciembre de 2024, Amnistía Internacional denunció que las acciones emprendidas por Israel a raíz de los «atroces» ataques de Hamás del 7 de octubre de 2023 (unos 1.200 israelíes asesinados y cerca de 250, tomados como rehenes,), «han puesto a la población gazatí al borde del colapso». En octubre de 2024, detalló AI, «la brutal ofensiva militar israelí había matado ya a más de 42.000 personas palestinas, entre ellas más de 13.300 niños y niñas, y herido a más de 97.000, en muchos casos en ataques directos o deliberadamente indiscriminados, que a menudo aniquilaron a familias enteras formadas por varias generaciones». Se trata, agregaba AI, de «una destrucción sin precedentes, que se produjo, según especialistas en la materia, a una escala y una rapidez nunca vistas y se llevó a cabo arrasando ciudades enteras y destruyendo infraestructura esencial, terrenos agrícolas y lugares de carácter cultural y religioso». Debido a ello, indicaba, «grandes extensiones de Gaza quedaron inhabitables».
Legal analysis of the conduct of Israel in Gaza pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Conference room paper of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel
16 September 2025
Table of Contents
- I. Introduction
- II. Legal framework
- III. Underlying acts of genocide
- A. Killing members of the group
- i. Legal framework
- ii. Summary of factual findings
- iii. Analysis and conclusion
- B. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
- i. Legal framework
- ii. Summary of factual findings
- a. Serious harm suffered as a result of environmental destruction
- b. Serious harm suffered as a result of attacks against civilians and civilian structures
- c. Serious harm suffered during and as a result of the evacuation process and expansion of the buffer zone
- d. Serious harm caused by severe mistreatment
- e. Serious harm caused by sexual and gender-based violence
- iii. Analysis and conclusion
- C. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in par
- i. Legal framework
- ii. Summary of factual findings
- a. Destruction of structures and land essential to Palestinians
- b. Destruction and denial of access to medical facilities and units
- c. Forced displacement and its impact
- d. Stopping entry of humanitarian aid, electricity, water and fuel supplies to Gaza
- e. Reproductive violence and health and food impacts on women
- f. Impacts of reduced healthcare and food on children
- iii. Analysis and conclusion
- D. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
- i. Legal framework
- ii. Summary of factual findings
- iii. Analysis and conclusion
- A. Killing members of the group
- IV. Dolus specialis of genocide
- A. Legal framework
- B. Assessment of factual findings
- i. Statements of Israeli state actors
- ii. Pattern of conduct
- a. Killing and causing bodily or mental harm
- b. Destruction of cultural, religious and educational structures and facilities
- c. Siege, starvation and the blocking of humanitarian aid
- d. Targeting of the healthcare system
- e. Sexual and gender-based violence
- f. Direct targeting of children
- C. Conclusion
- V. Direct and public incitement to commit genocide
- VI. Legal consequences on States and their obligations
- A. State of Israel
- B. Third States
- VII. Conclusions
- VIII. Recommendations
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VII. Conclusions
- The Commission’s analysis in this report relates solely to the determination of genocide under the Genocide Convention as it relates to the responsibility of the State of Israel both for the failure to prevent genocide, for committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023 and for the failure to punish The Commission also notes that, while its analysis is limited to the Palestinians specifically in Gaza during the period since 7 October 2023, it nevertheless raises the serious concern that the specific intent to destroy the Palestinians as a whole has extended to the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, that is, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, based on Israeli authorities’ and Israeli security forces’ actions therein, and to the period before 7 October 2023. The events in Gaza since 7 October 2023 have not occurred in isolation, as the Commission has noted. They were preceded by decades of unlawful occupation and repression under an ideology requiring the removal of the Palestinian population from their lands and its replacement.
- The Commission concludes on reasonable grounds that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have committed and are continuing to commit the following actus reus of genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, namely (i) killing members of the group; (ii) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (iii) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (iv) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.
- On incitement to genocide, the Commission concludes that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, have incited the commission of genocide and that Israeli authorities have failed to take action against them to punish this The Commission has not fully assessed statements by other Israeli political and military leaders, including Minister for National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister for Finance Bezalel Smotrich, and considers that they too should be assessed to determine whether they constitute incitement to commit genocide.
- On the mens rea of genocide, the Commission concludes that statements made by Israeli authorities are direct evidence of genocidal In addition, the Commission concludes that the pattern of conduct is circumstantial evidence of genocidal intent and that genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference that could be drawn from the totality of the evidence. Thus, the Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have had and continue to have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
- The Commission concludes that the State of Israel bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
VIII. Recommendations
256. The Commission recommends that the Government of Israel:
- Immediately end the commission of genocide in the Gaza Strip and comply fully with the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice in its orders of 26 January, 28 March and 24 May 2024;
- Immediately implement a complete permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end all military operations in the occupied Palestinian territory that involve the commission of genocidal acts;
- Restore, allow and ensure unhindered access of all United Nations staff, including UNRWA international staff, and all international agencies coordinating or providing humanitarian aid in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem;
- Immediately end its policy on starvation and end the distribution of food aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation;
- Ensure full, unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale and through multiple distribution points throughout the Gaza Strip, including food, clean water, medical equipment and medicine to all areas of Gaza through a UN-led humanitarian response;
- Allow, facilitate and ensure unhindered medical evacuation of Palestinians from Gaza to third States;
- Allow, facilitate and ensure the unhindered access to Gaza by emergency medical teams;
- Allow the Commission access to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, to continue its investigations;
- Investigate and punish the commission of genocide and incitement to genocide against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
- The Commission recommends that all Member States:
- Employ all means reasonably available to them to prevent the commission of genocide in the Gaza Strip;
- Cease the transfer of arms and other equipment or items, including jet fuel, to the State of Israel or third States where there is reason to suspect their use in military operations that have involved or could involve the commission of genocide;
- Ensure individuals and corporations in their territories and within their jurisdiction are not involved in the commission of genocide, aiding and assisting the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide and investigate and prosecute those who may be implicated in these crimes under international law;
- Facilitate the investigations and domestic proceedings and take action (including imposing sanctions) against the State of Israel and against individuals or corporations that are involved in or facilitating the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide;
- Cooperate with the investigation of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
- The Commission recommends that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court:
- Examine, within its continuing investigation in the Situation in the State of Palestine, the crime of genocide for amendment to existing arrest warrants and addition to future application for arrest warrants;
- Examine the involvement of officials mentioned in this report for inclusion as those most responsible for international crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territory.