News

UN inquiry finds Israel ‘intentionally’ targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, occupied West Bank

June 24, 2026

A report issued by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory on 23 June found that Israeli troops are deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as a central element of their ethnic cleansing campaign.

UN investigation finds Israel deliberately targeting Palestinian children to destroy biological continuity of Gaza
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A UN-backed independent inquiry has charged Israeli authorities with deliberately targeting and killing Palestinian children as a central component of an ongoing… pic.twitter.com/wu4OpEyaxC

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 23, 2026

“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission.

He added, “Even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, with continued disregard by Israel for the ceasefire and for the protection owed to Palestinian children under international law.”

🚨BREAKING : Israeli forces killed child Julia Khaled Dawoud Al-Balawi in Gaza.
Another child added to the long list of young victims of the Israeli genocide. pic.twitter.com/JuVZ1Gh41D

— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) June 21, 2026

The independent commission noted that the systematic targeting of Palestinian children by Israeli forces has inflicted profound, irreversible devastation.

These deliberate atrocities are characterized by mass trauma, physical disability, starvation, and the deliberate destruction of healthcare, education, and maternity services, including the dismantling of orphanages.

🚨 BREAKING: 4 year old Zeina Al-Safadi and 14 year old Lana Al-Safadi were among four Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike on a residential apartment on Al-Thalathini Street in Gaza City.

Four others were injured, most of them children, including one in critical condition… pic.twitter.com/jHfVSPRy0w

— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) June 20, 2026

Beyond the immediate violence, children face arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence, all of which are utilized to erode the foundational structure of Palestinian society.

This intergenerational assault aims to dismantle the demographic vitality of the Palestinian people, creating an “occupied psyche” that strips children of their safety, development, and hope for a future.

Doctors from various international backgrounds have provided detailed accounts of treating Palestinian children who were deliberately targeted by Israeli snipers, describing a “steady stream” of non-combatants with single, high-caliber gunshot wounds specifically to the head or chest

The inquiry found that children accounted for roughly 30 percent of all those killed during the genocide in Gaza.

The figure, however, likely underestimates the actual toll, as thousands remain buried under an estimated 61 million tons of debris.

While the Gaza Health Ministry has officially recorded approximately 72,000 deaths, experts believe between 10,000 and 14,000 additional bodies are trapped beneath the ruins of homes, schools, and hospitals.

Independent research teams suggest the total death toll, when accounting for the indirect effects of infrastructure collapse, malnutrition, and disease, may exceed 600,000.

Recovery efforts in Gaza are being systematically obstructed by a blockade on essential heavy machinery and forensic supplies.

Evidence of explicit “shoot to kill” military directives suggests that the high civilian death toll is a result of calculated and indiscriminate lethal force.

Israeli soldiers have testified to receiving orders to kill any male encountered, regardless of age or whether the individual was armed, and in some instances shot while waving white flags and shirtless.