Hours before Israel opened its polls for the first national elections since the October 7, 2023, attacks, a United Nations inquiry found that Israeli forces have continued to commit genocide in Gaza and war crimes, including extermination, in the West Bank.
The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry released the report on Monday, detailing findings that span both the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. According to abc.net.au, the commission stated that Israeli authorities and forces have continued to commit genocidal acts with the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza since an earlier accusation was made in September 2025.
Al Jazeera reported that the UN panel accused Israel of crimes against humanity in the occupied West Bank, including extermination, torture, and rape. The commission noted that the situation in the territory had deteriorated gravely since the Hamas-led attacks of 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages taken.
In response to the publication, Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the document as a propaganda report detached from reality, accusing it of delegitimizing the Jewish state. Daniel Meron, Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, stated that the report formed part of a misinformation campaign intended to demonize the country and undermine its right to exist and defend itself.
Escalating Operations and Casualties in the West Bank
The UN report documented a severe rise in casualties and displacement across the West Bank. According to abc.net.au, 254 Palestinians were killed by air strikes in the territory between October 7, 2023, and the end of September 2026. This figure marks a stark contrast to the six deaths recorded from air strikes between 2008 and the start of the 2023 attacks.
Srinivasan Muralidhar, chair of the commission, described the actions as part of a broader strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians while imposing unlivable conditions. Al Jazeera noted that military operations and sustained settler violence amounted to a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.
Concurrently, Israeli forces launched a major military operation in the West Bank city of Hebron following the killing of two soldiers by Palestinian gunmen. Municipal authorities reported that the operation displaced more than 3,000 people. The Israeli military stated it had arrested 40 people and searched more than 400 sites across the West Bank since the Hebron operation began.
The commission also detailed severe abuses within detention facilities.
Territorial Expansion and the Yellow Line in Gaza
In Gaza, the report focused on the solidification of military boundaries following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in October 2025. ABC analysis revealed that the boundary known as the Yellow Line, which initially marked the 51 percent of territory held by the Israel Defense Forces, has evolved into a steadily encroaching de facto border encompassing at least 60 percent of Gaza.
The commission found that Israeli forces continued using heavy munitions, drones, quadcopters, artillery, and sniper fire in densely populated areas near the Yellow Line. At least 196 Palestinians, including 43 children, were killed near the demarcation line between the ceasefire signing and early April.
While the international inquiry focused primarily on Israeli state actions, it also addressed the Palestinian Authority. The commission found that the authority targeted individuals with dissenting views, including journalists and human rights defenders, resulting in killings that authorities failed to properly investigate.
| Metric / Event | Reported Data | Source Reference |
|---|---|---|
| West Bank Air Strike Deaths (Oct 2023 – Sep 2026) | 254 fatalities | abc.net.au |
| West Bank Air Strike Deaths (2008 – Oct 2023) | 6 fatalities | abc.net.au |
| Displaced Palestinians in West Bank (as of August) | More than 34,000 people | abc.net.au |
| Gaza Territory under IDF Control (Yellow Line expansion) | At least 60 per cent | abc.net.au / ABC analysis |
| Killed near Yellow Line (Ceasefire to April) | 196 Palestinians (including 43 children) | abc.net.au |
As voters cast ballots in the national election, domestic priorities such as the cost of living and housing prices remained central for younger demographics, while security and regional tensions continued to shape the broader political landscape.
