‘Israel Committed War Crimes, Genocide Even After Gaza Truce’, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• A UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry reported that Israel continues to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) even after the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire.
• The commission, chaired by Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar, stated that over 75,000 Palestinians, including 21,500 children and 11,000 women, have been killed since October 7, 2023.
• Israeli military operations and settler violence in the West Bank are part of a coordinated effort to entrench settlements, annex territory, and displace Palestinians.
• In Gaza, Israeli forces are expanding territorial control beyond the Yellow Line, leading to civilian casualties.
• The report accused Israel of crimes against humanity, including extermination, torture, rape, and persecution through discriminatory rules against Palestinians.
• Justice Muralidhar urged UN Member States to cease aid sustaining the occupation and support the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, Danny Danon, rejected the findings as "historical fiction" and accused the commission of challenging Israel's legitimacy.

Detailed Insights:

• The commission's findings contradict a May report by the Board of Peace to the Security Council, which claimed the ceasefire largely held and brought relief.
• The Yellow Line is a demarcation established after the October 2025 ceasefire, intended to separate Israeli-controlled areas from Palestinian-ruled parts of Gaza, but Israel has been moving it westward.
• The situation in the West Bank has significantly worsened since October 2023, with military operations causing the largest displacement since 1967, affecting 34,176 people by August 2026.
• The report traces the roots of Israeli violence to policies from the 1947-48 war, aiming to maximize territorial control while minimizing the Palestinian population.
• The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion in July 2024, declaring Israel's continued presence in the OPT unlawful and obligating it to end the occupation and settlement activities.
• The commission also criticized Palestinian security forces for using disproportionate force against Palestinians in the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority for failing to investigate killings.
• The 1967 Six-Day War resulted in Israel's occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights, displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Key Concepts Involved:

• War Crimes: Serious violations of international humanitarian law committed during armed conflict, such as targeting civilians or mistreating prisoners.
• Crimes Against Humanity: Widespread or systematic attacks against any civilian population, including murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, torture, and sexual violence.
• Genocide: Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
• Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT): Refers to the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.