UN Inquiry Finds Age-Based Persecution of Palestinian Children in West Bank

A UN commission concluded this week that Israeli forces committed the crime against humanity of age-based persecution against Palestinian children in the West Bank.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory published its fifth report to the UN General Assembly on October 26. The document states that Israeli forces have deliberately killed and caused serious bodily and mental harm to Palestinian children because of their status as children. The commission characterizes the harm as part of a pattern of intentional violence rather than collateral damage from wider conflict.

The report cites UN figures stating that between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026, Israeli forces killed 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This total includes at least 237 boys and seven girls. The same period saw 10,940 people wounded. In Gaza, the commission found that attacks since an October 2025 ceasefire have killed more than 1,431 people, including at least 300 children, and wounded 5,026.

The inquiry documented specific incidents involving lethal force. On June 5, 2026, in Hebron, a soldier fired two rounds at a car after the driver stopped and raised his hands, killing a seven-month-old baby and wounding both parents. The Israeli army stated that a member of the Yehuda Brigade fired because the car accelerated toward soldiers. The commission countered that at a range of 10 meters, the soldier had a clear view of the vehicle's occupants. On March 15, 2026, in Tammun, forces fired on a family of six in a car, killing the parents and two younger sons while wounding the older brothers.

The commission reported that it investigated seven cases and documented six others involving killings or harm to Palestinians between November 2023 and June 2026. In these instances, the victims were unarmed and posed no threat, and most were children, including an infant. The report states that security personnel used lethal force without warning, targeting the head or upper body, and concludes that soldiers intentionally killed all these victims. The commission found no effective investigations, disciplinary measures, or judicial proceedings in the cases it examined, noting that a lack of accountability has allowed crimes against Palestinian children to occur repeatedly with impunity.

Beyond specific incidents, the commission examined the legal framework governing the use of force. It found that Israeli rules of engagement in the West Bank were broadened after October 7, 2023, and apply only to Palestinians, while soldiers are prohibited from using lethal force against Jewish Israelis in a similar manner. The report cites Major General Avi Bluth, head of Central Command, who said in May 2026 that soldiers were killing like they have not since 1967. The document also cites Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, who said in November 2023 that there are two million Nazis in the West Bank. The commission determined that the killing of Aysenur Eygi, a US and Turkish dual citizen, near Beita on September 6, 2024, constituted the war crime of wilful killing because the soldier deliberately targeted her with intent to kill. Air strikes have killed 254 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, compared with six between 2008 and that date.

The commission also addressed the situation in Gaza, finding that Israeli authorities and forces continue to commit genocidal acts with the intent to destroy Palestinians in the region. It noted that the line described as the Yellow Line has become an encroaching de facto border, with Israeli-controlled territory expanding from 53 percent of Gaza to at least 60 percent by September 2026. The commission urged the International Criminal Court prosecutor to examine the crimes for possible amendment of existing arrest warrants and future applications.

The report examined actions by the Palestinian Authority as well. It found that the State of Palestine violated the right to life in the killing of a man by Palestinian security forces at a checkpoint in Jenin on December 9, 2024. The commission accused the authority of targeting Palestinians who express dissenting views, including journalists and human rights defenders. Srinivasan Muralidhar, the commission's chair, stated that the authority has failed to conduct effective and impartial investigations into incidents of killings and ensure effective remedy, including financial compensation to victims and their families.