Overview
- The Independent International Commission of Inquiry published an 88-page, child-focused report on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, concluding Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children.
- The report documents at least 20,179 child deaths in Gaza between October 7, 2023 and October 7, 2025 and reports 44,143 children wounded in the same period.
- Investigators cite use of high-payload and wide-area munitions in densely populated areas, numerous single-shot head and upper-body wounds attributed to snipers and drones, and identify specific Israeli units that may be responsible.
- The commission also records a sharp rise in settler violence and systematic abuse of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, including forced stripping, beatings, sexual and gender-based violence during arrests and detention.
- Israel rejected the report as defamatory while UN agencies warn that restrictions on NGOs and aid workers have reduced protection for children and the commission urged states and courts to pursue accountability, including ICC attention and sanctions.