UN Inquiry Led by Indian Jurist Says Israel Deliberately Targeted Gaza's Children

A United Nations independent commission of inquiry has found that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children, amounting to genocide and other atrocity crimes in Gaza. The findings, released on 23 June 2026, carry a notable India connection: the commission is chaired by Srinivasan Muralidhar, a former judge of the Delhi and Odisha High Courts widely respected in Indian legal circles.

What the report found

The 94-page report, titled around the theme that "the essence of childhood has been destroyed," documents the killing of at least 20,179 Palestinian children and injuries to 44,143 others between October 2023 and October 2025. The commission found that about 30 percent of those killed in Gaza since the start of the war were children.

The deliberate targeting of children, the commission concluded, is one of the key elements establishing genocidal intent. It also found that strikes on neonatal and maternity care had harmed newborn survival, contributing to rising miscarriages and birth defects.

The Indian connection

Muralidhar, who stated that "the evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces," leads a reconstituted three-member panel alongside Florence Mumba and Chris Sidoti. His prominence at the head of one of the UN's most contentious inquiries has drawn attention in India to the role of Indian-origin jurists in global accountability mechanisms.

The commission added that even after the October 2025 ceasefire, children continued to be killed and injured, accusing Israel of disregarding the truce and its obligations under international law. Israel has rejected the commission's mandate and its conclusions.

• Commission chaired by former Indian judge Srinivasan Muralidhar.
• Report says Israel deliberately targeted Palestinian children, amounting to genocide.
• At least 20,179 children killed and 44,143 injured, October 2023-October 2025.
• Around 30 percent of those killed in Gaza were children, the panel found.
• Commission says killings continued after the October 2025 ceasefire.

“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces.”

For India, which maintains ties with both Israel and the Palestinian leadership and has called consistently for restraint and a two-state solution, the report sits within a delicate diplomatic balance. The visibility of an Indian jurist at its helm ensures the findings will be closely read in New Delhi and across the region.

The NE Times View

A finding of this gravity, chaired by a respected Indian jurist, places New Delhi in an uncomfortable spot between its deepening ties with Israel and its long-standing solidarity with Palestine. The report's documentation of more than 20,000 child deaths demands a response rooted in principle, not convenience. India's moral standing on the world stage is built on exactly such moments. Silence, here, would itself be a statement.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from The Hindu and NDTV.