Israel has killed more than 20,000 Palestinian children since October 7, 2023. The UN details cases of torture, rape and murder in a landmark report.
Sondos Asem Published: 25 June 2026 13:23 BST | Last updated: 2 hours 37 minutes ago
Israeli forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, a central element of the genocide in Gaza, the UN said this week. UN Supreme Commission of Inquiry on Palestine and Israel.
The statement is an 88-page in report which examines the full range of harms inflicted on children since October 7, 2023: from precision shootings by snipers and drones, to torture in detention, to reproductive violence, to the destruction of schools and hospitals.
„The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, chairman of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. „Even after the ceasefire in October 2025, the killing and serious injury of children continue, while Israel continues to disregard the ceasefire and the protections afforded to Palestinian children under international law,” said the Indian lawyer and judge.
The commission, which had previously found Israel responsible for the genocide in Gaza, found that children were targeted in two ways: directly, with precision weapons (including quadcopters and sniper rifles), and indirectly, by systematically destroying the conditions necessary for their survival. The report named specific Israeli military units responsible for the killings and urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prioritize crimes against children in its ongoing investigation.
Below are the key findings of the report.
At least 20,179 children died
Between the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 and 7 October 2025, Israeli military operations in Gaza killed at least 20,179 children and injured 44,143. This represents 30 per cent of all those killed and 26 per cent of those injured. Children under the age of five accounted for at least 5,031 of the victims, including 1,029 infants under one year of age and approximately 420 newborns. A further 5,160 children are believed to be buried under the rubble. The committee noted that the real number is certainly higher, as many deaths have not been recorded.
Deliberate execution of children
The commission documented the consistent and deliberate use of precision weapons by Israeli forces against children. Seventeen doctors reported treating large numbers of children who had been hit by single shots to the head or upper body by Israeli snipers or quadcopters. One doctor said the pattern suggested that Israeli soldiers were „deliberately shooting teenage boys, as if in a target shooting game.”.
Documented cases:
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January 29, 2024: Israeli forces shot dead the five-year-old Hind Rajabot In Gaza City, along with six members of his family. When two paramedics went to rescue him, Israeli forces fired on their ambulance, killing them as well. The commission found that the 401st Brigade of the 162nd Division deliberately fired on the family and obstructed the rescue.
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January 24, 2024: Israeli soldiers shot dead a 15-year-old boy in Khan Younis while he was holding a white flag. When his 20-year-old brother rushed to his aid, he was also shot dead.
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April 12, 2024: An Israeli quadcopter operator shot a 10-day-old baby in the head while his mother was breastfeeding him in a tent. The baby survived but is suffering from seizures. The commission said the operator had a clear view of the inside of the tent before the shooting.
Killing of children after the ceasefire
The ceasefire of October 2025 did not stop the Israeli forces. The commission documented the killing of more than 100 children and the wounding of hundreds more in the weeks that followed. Israeli forces established a demarcation line known as the „yellow line” and shot any civilians, including children, who tried to return to their homes or collect firewood.
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November 29, 2025: A Kfir Brigade drone strike killed two brothers (ages 9 and 10) who were collecting firewood for their wheelchair-bound father. Israel claimed that the boys were suspects on the yellow line, but the commission found that the claim was unfounded: the boys were clearly children and the operator had unobstructed view of them.
213 children in the West Bank
Israeli forces killed 213 Palestinian children in the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and October 20, 2025. The committee found that the boys were systematically labeled and targeted as „terrorists” or „future terrorists.”.
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January 25, 2025: Menashe Brigade soldiers shot a two-year-old girl in the back of the head while she was having dinner with her family. She died instantly; she is the youngest victim of Israeli forces in the West Bank.
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January 28, 2025: Soldiers from the Ephraim Brigade shot and killed a 10-year-old boy at his father's house. The soldiers delayed the ambulance for 30 minutes. One of them told the boy's father: „"I shot your son. By God's will he will die."”
Torture and sexual abuse
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Since 7 October, Israeli forces have detained more than 1,655 children in the West Bank. As of 31 December 2025, 51 per cent of detainees were in administrative detention (imprisonment without charge), a record. Children were subjected to beatings, terrorisation with dogs, and deprivation of food and water. The committee received testimonies of prison guards raping boys, which was a systematic part of the detention regime.
Destruction of hospitals and neonatal units
Israeli forces forced all three major Gaza children's hospitals to close during the first two months of the war. At Al-Nasr Children's Hospital, staff were evacuated within 30 minutes and the power was cut. When they entered weeks later, the investigation team Four decomposing infant bodies found in the neonatal unit, still connected to life support machines.
Bombing and destruction of schools
Israeli forces directly hit 459 out of 564 schools between October 7, 2023 and October 2025. More than 97 percent of the schools were damaged or destroyed. Soldiers have released videos of themselves blowing up schools while mocking them: „When I was a kid, I always dreamed of blowing up my school. Today I'm blowing up a school. Wow.”
Legal statements
The committee found it well-founded that the Israeli authorities and security forces genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes were committed. The deliberate targeting of children is a key element in establishing genocidal intent, as children embody the biological and social continuity of the Palestinian group. Israel has not responded to the committee’s 13 requests for information.
