By Prof. Ayaz Ahmad Islahi
Lucknow University
Israel has suffered a major blow on the international stage following the release of a detailed, 100-page report by the United Nations (UN) Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Gaza and East Jerusalem. Documenting Israeli military actions against Palestinian children between October 7, 2023, and March 31, 2026, the report is titled “The Essence of Childhood Has Been Destroyed.” The Commission, chaired by Indian judge Justice S. Muralidhar, gathered extensive forensic evidence and witness testimony, leading to the conclusion that Israeli security forces deliberately targeted and killed children in multiple instances.
The Deadliest Assaults on Children in Modern History
According to the UN findings, the tragic loss of children’s lives occurred primarily in two distinct ways:
- The routine use of high-yield explosives in densely populated areas destroyed residential buildings, schools, and hospitals, causing massive child casualties.
- The United Nations Commission of Inquiry report documents the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children. The report presents evidence of children being shot with precision weapons, including sniper rifles and quadcopter drones, as though it were a military game or target practice. These devices clearly enable operators to distinguish whether the target is a child or an adult, as well as identify different parts of the human body. Yet they were used against individuals who posed no military threat to Israel’s occupation forces. Furthermore, the report reveals severe abuses by Israeli forces, finding that:
- Many Palestinian children were killed by sniper fire during daylight hours.
- Their military commanders were fully aware of these practices, and in some instances, they occurred under their direct supervision.
- This systematic shooting of children violates international law and points to grave human rights violations as part of a genocidal campaign.
- These findings are based on extensive investigations, witness testimonies, and medical records collected by international human rights experts.
3. The Commission terms these acts genocide. It concludes that Israeli security forces and their officials deliberately targeted Palestinian children under a well-designed plan and that these actions clearly amount to a genocidal campaign.
The report characterises these acts as crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip as well as throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, including the entire West Bank and East Jerusalem. The report is a comprehensive legal document built upon forensic evidence, satellite imagery, military analysis, statements by Israeli soldiers, witness testimonies, medical examination reports, and years of documentation, all examined under strict judicial principles and the supervision of a distinguished former judge of the Indian High Court.
What the Commission has concluded and presented is not merely another detailed account of civilian atrocities and state terrorism. It emphasises that the “killing, maiming, starvation, detention and psychological destruction” of Palestinian childhood cannot simply be described as the destruction of assets and property or dismissed as collateral damage. Rather, the Commission views the massacre of children, who themselves have become deliberate targets of Israeli military policy, as the destruction of a nation’s childhood and its future.
According to the records provided by the Commission, since October 2023, at least 20,179 Palestinian children have been killed and more than 44,000 injured. It estimates that 30% of all Palestinians were children.
According to some international analysts, these figures alone place Israel’s attack on Gaza among the deadliest assaults on children in modern history. Based on the Commission’s report, one may conclude that the perpetrators of these killings displayed a level of brutality and inhumanity surpassing that traditionally associated with the Pharaoh of Egypt. The UN Commission of Inquiry reports that the targeted killing of children in Gaza continued even after the October 2025 ceasefire. Citing UNICEF, the report states that 265 children died following the ceasefire. During the first two years of the conflict, more than 20,000 children were killed. Commission member Chris Sidoti announced that investigators possess a specific list of the Israeli military divisions and brigades allegedly responsible for these child deaths. Following the release of the report, international media coverage has come under close scrutiny.
The Commission also concluded that Israel’s constant attacks on healthcare facilities and reproductive health centres endangered the survival of newborn babies and caused an increase in miscarriages. Its findings also report a sharp rise in violence by Israeli forces and illegal Jewish settlers against Palestinian civilians, especially children, and present strong evidence of torture, sexual violence, gender-based attacks, mass arrests, and human rights violations in so-called Israeli detention centres.
The report further documents the systematic mistreatment of Palestinian children, particularly boys, who are subjected to human rights abuses during detention, including physical violence, forced stripping, prolonged humiliation, beatings, burning, and deprivation of food and water, resulting in severe injuries and lasting harm. The BBC reported that the UN Commission concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza by deliberately targeting Palestinian children. Similarly, the international news agency Reuters used the word ‘genocide’ in its recent coverage of the UN Commission’s report.
This marks a significant shift, as these leading news organisations have rarely used such a grave legal term in relation to Israel. The report also recounts a tragic incident. According to the Commission, an Israeli soldier used a drone to shoot a baby in the head while the child was sitting on its mother’s lap, killing the infant instantly. The report states that this account is based on evidence gathered during the Commission’s investigation. Pressure on Israel is growing across the world.
The international community, particularly the United States, will now have to decide how to respond.
Accountability of Israel’s Dual National Soldiers
A critical focus of recent reports concerns the dual citizenship of military personnel serving in the Israeli army. By participating in various capacities, these dual-national soldiers allegedly share responsibility for crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Official data indicates that more than 50,000 individuals holding foreign nationalities, predominantly from the United States and European countries, have served in these ranks. Consequently, there is growing consensus that their home governments have both a legal and moral obligation to ensure that their citizens are held accountable for their actions.
A number of journalists, intellectuals, human rights organisations, and Palestinian advocates have long viewed this phenomenon as part of a calculated Israeli strategy. Critics argue that reliance on a vast, international reserve of foreign nationals extends the reach of the alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza far beyond the Middle East. During periods of relative peace, these individuals often reside abroad, advocating for Israeli policies and lobbying on its behalf. However, when Israel launches military offensives, these foreign nationals are seamlessly integrated into its armed forces, returning to the region to play a pivotal role in advancing Israeli military objectives.
An Al Jazeera report published on 15 February 2026, reveals that more than 50,000 foreign nationals holding at least one additional citizenship have fought for the Israeli army during the Gaza conflict. Human rights groups around the world have raised concerns and have sought to identify and prosecute these dual-national soldiers, many of whom have allegedly posted videos of their actions on social media, publicly documenting their involvement in alleged crimes committed in Gaza. In fact, thousands of Western nationals serving in the Israeli military hold dual citizenship, presenting significant legal challenges. As of March 2025, foreign nationals serving in the Israeli military included approximately 12,135 soldiers holding United States passports, the largest group by a considerable margin. Of these, 1,207 reportedly held an additional passport besides their American and Israeli citizenship. Data shared with Al Jazeera by Israeli lawyer Elad Man, legal counsel for Hatzlacha, indicates that the military also included 6,127 French nationals, 5,067 Russians, 1,686 British-Israeli citizens, 1,686 Brazilian citizens, 609 Argentine citizens, 505 Canadians, 112 Colombians, and 181 Mexicans, all serving alongside their Israeli nationality in Gaza and the West Bank during the war.
The same legal principles concerning war crimes and criminal accountability extend to these thousands of military personnel holding dual citizenship. The Commission’s chairperson, during an interview with Frontline, stated that if these individuals are implicated in war crimes and travel to their home countries or elsewhere, those nations cannot turn a blind eye by citing political neutrality. A country may be politically neutral, but it cannot remain neutral regarding the law. He stated: “Our report identifies, down to specific battalions, brigades, and divisions, military units allegedly involved in attacks on Palestinian children. If any member of those units is found within the jurisdiction of another state, that country may exercise universal jurisdiction and investigate whether criminal liability arises.”
The Most Damning Aspect of the Report
Perhaps the most damning aspect of the report is that much of the evidence comes from the admissions of Israeli soldiers themselves regarding the systematic killing of Palestinian children, accounts that have been widely reported and remain publicly available online. Some soldiers have openly stated on television that operating military drones had become akin to playing a video game, with troops competing to see who could eliminate the greatest number of Palestinians. According to these disturbing testimonies, such technology has stripped away all sense of humanity. In this campaign, soldiers reportedly competed with one another, abandoning all moral restraints and casually referring to the killings as a ‘bestial game’. They watched every detail on a screen – whether a child was eating or sitting in a mother’s lap – and then, with the push of a button, released a bomb. Modern technology enabled individuals sitting safely in remote bunkers to kill Palestinians, including children, as though they were playing an arcade game. In an exclusive interview with journalist Iftikhar Gilani for Frontline, Justice S. Muralidhar, Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, detailed the Commission’s findings regarding Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children and the systematic commission of war crimes in Gaza.
Justice Muralidhar stated that the evidence leaves ‘little room for doubt’ that Palestinian children were systematically targeted and subjected to severe trauma and injury. When asked why the Commission concluded that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted rather than merely becoming collateral victims of war, Justice Muralidhar pointed to decisive evidence: the testimonies of Israeli soldiers themselves. In his words: “We found testimony from Israeli soldiers themselves describing these operations. Some even spoke openly to television crews about how operating drones had become ‘like a game.’ They described competitions among soldiers over who could eliminate more targets.” A specific account quoted in the UN report came from the ITV News documentary Breaking Ranks: Inside Israel’s War. In the film, one Israeli soldier admitted: “The drones, in my opinion, are what most dehumanise the other side. You see everything on the screen, and you drop the bomb. It feels like a game. You can sit safely in a basement, helmet off, half-dressed, and kill Palestinians.”
Replying to a question about the Commission’s reliance on online material posted by Israeli soldiers, Justice Muralidhar stated that, despite Israel’s continued refusal to cooperate with the UN Commission, Israeli soldiers themselves had placed substantial incriminating evidence of their involvement in the public domain. Citing one example concerning a soldier from the Israeli Army’s 252nd Division, he added: “He openly admitted to a reporter from Haaretz that he shot and killed an unarmed 16-year-old Palestinian boy. These are not allegations made by third parties.”
The report also examines Israel’s practice of frequently labelling adolescent Palestinian boys and teenagers as ‘terrorists’. Explaining the legal significance of this practice during the interview, the head of the investigation stated: “The report documents instances in which Palestinian boys – some as young as 10 or 12 – were treated as legitimate military targets after being labelled terrorists. When labels become substitutes for legal assessment, they create conditions in which unlawful killings become normalised.” The head of the Commission warned that turning a blind eye to these violations sets a dangerous global precedent and that international accountability is essential to prevent irreversible harm to an entire generation. Referring to countries that often remain neutral, he stated: “Neutrality may be a political position. It cannot become an excuse for ignoring legal obligations.”
He further observed that India, like other countries, is a party to several important international conventions and human rights instruments, and therefore, “its commitments carry responsibilities.” One of the most chilling aspects of the UN Commission’s report is that the destruction extends far beyond physical death and injury. From Gaza to Jerusalem, childhood itself has become a battlefield. The report concludes that almost every child in Gaza requires immediate psychological support in order to lead a normal life.
The question therefore arises: Who will heal the psychological trauma, orphanhood, starvation caused by the prolonged blockade of aid, medicine, and food, repeated displacement, hunger, the destruction of the Palestinian education system, the collapse of healthcare infrastructure, anxiety, disability, diseases left untreated for lack of hospitals, and the enduring pain that together constitute what the Commission describes as the ‘destroyed essence of childhood’ in Gaza and the West Bank?
Muralidhar’s Character Makes the Difference
The Commission was headed by Justice S. Muralidhar, a jurist widely renowned for his fearless rulings and unwavering commitment to justice during his tenure at the Delhi High Court, even in the face of political pressure. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry has recently delivered a landmark report. Focusing on the systematic targeting of innocent children by Israeli forces in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, the report represents a profound quest for justice. It stands as a powerful indictment of crimes against humanity committed in Gaza, continuing to challenge the conscience of the global community. Justice S. Muralidhar is widely regarded as one of India’s most distinguished and impartial jurists. He currently chairs the three-member UN Commission investigating war crimes and the targeting of children in Gaza and the West Bank. He began his legal career as an advocate in Chennai before practising as a renowned lawyer in the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court. He also served as a member of the Law Commission of India before being appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court.
During his tenure on the bench, Justice Muralidhar delivered several landmark and unprecedented judgments. He convicted senior politician Sajjan Kumar for his involvement in the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots. He also conducted a midnight hearing to ensure safe passage for victims of the 2020 Delhi communal riots. The following afternoon, he strongly rebuked the Delhi Police for failing to take action against ruling party leaders accused of involvement in, or incitement of, the violence. Following his firm stance during the 2020 Delhi riots, he was abruptly transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court within hours, a decision widely viewed as a response to his uncompromising pursuit of justice. Justice S. Muralidhar retired as Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court in August 2023 without ever being elevated to the Supreme Court. Despite this, he remained deeply respected by lawyers, legal scholars, and the marginalised across the country. Upon his retirement, lawyers formed an unbroken line stretching from the courtroom to the street to bid him farewell – a unique spectacle in Indian judicial history.
His commitment to justice received global recognition when the United Nations appointed him Chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. He brought the same judicial rigour to the Commission’s work. As noted by prominent Indian journalist Iftikhar Gilani, who recently interviewed him, Justice Muralidhar has appeared on the global stage in Geneva demonstrating the same fearless and unwavering legal perspective ‘that once cost him his position in New Delhi’. As Chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, former Indian jurist Justice S. Muralidhar has spearheaded a landmark investigation into the conflict. Grounded in the Commission’s report, Justice S. Muralidhar and other members of the Commission have, with characteristic fearlessness, presented an exhaustive inquiry detailing grave atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The comprehensive findings outline a pattern of deliberate shootings, torture, and widespread human rights violations. This rigorous work has attracted intense international scrutiny, building a robust case based on extensive evidence that challenges the systemic policies of the occupying forces.
