On 18 June 2026, the UN independent international commission of inquiry published a report entitled The essence of childhood has been destroyed”: Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023.

The report documents the systematic killing of Palestinian children in Gaza, including following the October 2025 peace plan, the sharp increase in violence against Palestinian children in the West Bank, and the use of torture, ill-treatment and sexual violence against Palestinian children in detention. The inquiry also found that attacks ⁠on healthcare and reproductive facilities affected newborns’ survival and the reported increase in miscarriages, and that nearly all children in Gaza ​were reported to be in need of psychological support. It concludes that Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children.

Read the report here.