Presenting the Commission of Inquiry’s latest report, Navi Pillay said the findings were based on a legal analysis conducted under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

“We concluded that the State of Israel is responsible for the commission of four genocidal acts in Gaza with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, as such,” she said.

“The Commission also found that the Israeli President, Prime Minister and former Defence Minister have incited the commission of genocide.”

Ms. Pillay, a former UN human rights chief, described the situation in Gaza as “the most ruthless, prolonged and widespread attack against the Palestinian people in history.”

Devastation can’t be undone

She said that while the fragile ceasefire and release of hostages and prisoners “offer hope, they cannot undo the devastation that has already occurred,” adding that “the Gaza Strip lies in ruins, rendered nearly uninhabitable.”

She added that Israeli officials had “publicly endorsed plans for the deportation of the population, the construction of settlements and annexation of the territory.”

Although the ceasefire has put such policies on hold, “recent statements by Israeli officials make it clear that these objectives remain firmly in place.”

This was Ms. Pillay’s last report to the General Assembly, after having led the independent international investigative body since July 2021.

Occupied West Bank

In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Commission found that Israeli policies since October 2023 – along with explicit and implicit support for violent settlers – “demonstrate clear intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians, expand Israeli Jewish civilian presence and annex the majority of the West Bank.”

The purpose, Ms. Pillay said, is “to prevent any potential Palestinian self-determination and statehood and maintain an indefinite occupation.”

Ensure accountability

She urged Member States to ensure justice and accountability “through supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigations” and by using universal jurisdiction to prosecute suspects, including dual nationals.

“It pains me that, on my last presentation as chair of this commission, the post-World War Two multilateral system has failed to prevent this genocide,” she said. “The international system has been found wanting.”

She concluded by calling for “truth and reconciliation,” adding that “only through transitional justice can peace eventually take root and flourish.”

Call for permanent ceasefire

Francesca Albanese, the independent UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, also briefed the General Assembly committee and underscored the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

She urged Member States to ensure Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied territory and the dismantling of Israeli settlements.

Alongside, they must suspend all military, trade and diplomatic ties with Israel “until it ends and remedies its genocide, unlawful occupation and apartheid,” she said, calling also for investigations and, where warranted, prosecutions of those involved in alleged crimes.

“This is how we begin to honour the memory of those killed. And if the Security Council is paralysed, this Assembly must act under uniting for peace with greater resolve than ever before,” she added.

Special Rapporteurs and other human rights experts appointed under the special procedures mandate of the Human Rights Council are not UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They receive no salary for their work.

Her journey into humanitarian work began after years of serving in hospitals in Aden, where she witnessed firsthand the struggles vulnerable communities face in accessing healthcare services.

“In Aden, I worked at a private hospital,” she recalled. “I found that many people couldn’t afford treatment. That reality pushed me to find a way to help those left behind.”

She decided to relocate to Ma’rib, a city sheltering hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict and a key transit hub for migrants making the perilous journey from the Horn of Africa through Yemen, with a clear goal in mind: to serve those who could not afford medical treatment.

‘Migrants who reach us are traumatised’

Dr. Nouf said she found her calling at the centre, which provides primary healthcare services to vulnerable groups, especially those on the move.

“Migrants who reach us are traumatised,” she explained. “Whether it’s hunger, fear of death or the unknown, it results in physical, psychological or neurological shocks.”

Many arrive with serious, sometimes permanent, injuries. Women in particular often carry visible and invisible scars from abuse suffered along irregular migration routes into the country.

“There are times when I emotionally struggle with what I see and hear,” she said. “But, helping these people and watching them recover fuels my passion and determination to continue.”

Listening to their stories filled with pain, fear and resilience, Dr. Nouf does everything she can to help, assessing each case, providing emergency support and when needed, referring patients to specialised services. From treatment for contagious diseases to care for physical and psychological traumas, MRP also offers protection services for survivors and victims who experienced violence, exploitation and abuse.”

From young migrant to aid worker

Dr. Nouf is not alone in this mission of delivering lifesaving assistance to migrants and Yemenis in need. She works together with a dedicated team of colleagues from diverse backgrounds who tirelessly attend to numerous patients each day, among them Khalid, a 22-year-old Ethiopian whose own migration journey to Ma’rib is a testament to resilience and compassion.

Khalid arrived in Yemen in 2021, heartbroken after his school in Ethiopia refused to let him return due to illness-related absence. Frustrated, he left Ethiopia with smugglers, enduring a grueling 10-day trek through the desert and surviving on shared biscuits. Upon reaching Aden, he found no comfort or assistance, so he continued his journey to Ma’rib where some of his relatives live.

Once in Ma’rib, Khalid was welcomed by his community, who brought him clothes and hosted him. A month later, he began working as a cleaner at a local hospital, a job he held for three years.

‘I’ve been through the same experience’

At the hospital, Khalid encountered other migrants seeking treatment and advocated for their care. He spoke with administrators, urging them to treat these vulnerable individuals for free. His reputation grew, and soon, anyone in need turned to Khalid for help.

“I help other migrants because I’ve been through the same experience,” he said. “I know how support can make the suffering less.”

Eventually, Khalid received the opportunity to work in the MRP, where he can help migrants access services and provide translation support.

“People arrive here suffering from poor nutrition, amoebiasis and malaria. Some bear physical injuries caused during torture for ransom at the hands of traffickers,” he said. “I am thankful to the donors who keep this facility running. It saves lives every day through vital healthcare services.”

According to local health authorities in Gaza, 830 people were killed between 18-23 March, including 174 women and 322 children. A further 1,787 were injured.

“The acts of war that we see bear the hallmarks of atrocity crimes,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “Hundreds of children and other civilians have been killed in health and Israeli airstrikes. Intensely populated areas hospitals are once again battlegrounds; patients killed in their beds, ambulances shot at, and first responders killed.”

It has been 10 days since Gazans woke up to renewed Israel bombing, abruptly ending the two-month ceasefire.

“It has been 10 days of witnessing – because the UN remains on the ground in Gaza – a callous disregard for human life and dignity,” Mr. Laerke maintained.

No to evacuations

Maryse Guimond, UN Women Representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, relayed testimonies of Palestinians in Gaza who say they will not heed new evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military, on the grounds that “there are no safe places anyway”.

Speaking from Amman, she added: “It is a situation of pure survival and survival of their families because, as they say, there is simply nowhere to go…”

“As a woman recently said to us from Deir al Balah, ‘My mother says death is the same whether in Gaza City, or in Deir al Balah; we just want to return to Gaza.’”

Echoing those concerns, Dr. Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that the situation “is as bad as it ever was”. A new ceasefire is needed immediately for the sake of all Gazans, she insisted.

“We knew it was bad before the ceasefire, when we were constantly begging to be allowed to do our job just to help the ordinary people. No, they can’t keep going.”

Healthcare in the enclave is also suffering from the aid blockade, with supplies dwindling dangerously low since the cut-off began on 2 March.

“The key supplies now for safe labour and delivery…will be running out soon,” said Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative in the OPT.

A dozen ambulances have also been put out of action through lack of fuel, the veteran humanitarian medic said, speaking from Jerusalem.

Collective punishment warning

Sparked by Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel, the war in Gaza has devastated the enclave and prompted widespread international condemnation over its impact on civilians, who should be spared from violence in times of war.

“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” OCHA’s Mr. Laerke insisted.

“International law is clear, it prohibits indiscriminate attacks, obstruction of life saving aid, destruction of infrastructure indispensable for civilian survival and hostage-taking.

“The International Court of Justice’s provisional measures on the application of the Genocide Convention remain in place; yet the alerts that we issue in report after report reveal an utter lack of respect for the most basic principles of humanity.”

Reuters

Reuters

In a post on X, external, the Israeli foreign ministry’s spokesman said the group was “once more spreading its blood libels… The truth is the complete opposite of HRW’s lies”.

The 179-page report says that “since October 2023, Israeli authorities have deliberately obstructed Palestinians’ access to the adequate amount of water required for survival in the Gaza Strip”.

It says Israel intentionally damaged infrastructure, including solar panels powering treatment plants, a reservoir, and a spare parts warehouse, while also blocking fuel for generators.

It says Israel also cut electricity supplies, attacked repair workers and blocked the entry into Gaza of repair materials.

“This isn’t just negligence,” said HRW executive director Tirana Hassan. “It is a calculated policy of deprivation that has led to the deaths of thousands from dehydration and disease that is nothing short of the crime against humanity of extermination, and an act of genocide.”

The report is based on interviews with dozens of Palestinians from Gaza, including water authority officials, sanitation experts and healthcare workers, as well as satellite imagery and data from October 2023 to September 2024.

Israel launched a major military offensive in Gaza after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

At least 45,129 people have been killed in Gaza since the offensive began, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. It does not put a figure on the number who have died as a result of lack of access to water or other such causes.

The HRW report notes that to constitute the crime of genocide, alleged actions require evidence of intent. It says the findings, including statements made by senior Israeli officials, “may indicate such intent”.

But, rejecting HRW’s allegations on X, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said Israel had facilitated “the continuous flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza, despite operating under constant attacks of Hamas terror organisation”.

He said water pipelines and pumping and desalination facilities remained operational, and that water tankers had repeatedly delivered supplies into Gaza through Israeli crossings.

“This report is full of lies that are appalling even when compared to HRW’s already low standards,” he added.

The HRW report is the latest in a series of accusations by rights groups and others that Israel is committing genocide in its campaign in Gaza.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the UN’s top court – is also currently examining a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide.

The Genocide Convention of 1948, passed in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust of European Jewry, defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.

Israel has vehemently denied such allegations as “wholly unfounded” and driven by antisemitism. It says it has not intentionally harmed civilians in Gaza, and that it is fighting only against Hamas.