UN-Commissioned Inquiry Says Israel Committed Genocidal Acts in Gaza Despite Ceasefire

A UN-commissioned panel of independent experts said in a report released Monday, October 26, 2026, that a ceasefire in Gaza has not stopped what it describes as genocide by Israel in the territory. The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory also accused Israeli forces of crimes against humanity in the West Bank, including torture and rape. Israel denies both the genocide allegation and the sexual assault claims. It did not immediately respond when the report was published, and later rejected it as an effort to demonize and delegitimize the country, according to one account. The report describes graphic accounts of sexual assaults by prison guards and soldiers on Palestinian detainees since October 2023. In one, female guards strip-searched a pregnant woman; in another, a detainee was beaten, insulted and denied access to a toilet and sanitary pads. The Associated Press said it could not independently corroborate these accounts. The commission seeks to document allegations and evidence of crimes in detail to support accountability, and its findings could be used by International Criminal Court prosecutors or in other jurisdictions.

Newsmax, on the right, leads with the central finding, using the same wording as the Associated Press report: experts commissioned by the UN say the ceasefire has not stopped genocide by Israel. Its excerpt omits the West Bank allegations and Israel's response. The New York Times, on the left, puts the finding in its headline as "genocidal acts" since the ceasefire, adds the crimes-against-humanity accusation about the West Bank, and notes that Israel condemned the report. Both sides report the core conclusion and attribute it to the UN-backed panel. They differ mainly in what accompanies it: the right-leaning excerpt gives no Israeli reaction, while the left-leaning one includes Israel's condemnation. The Times of Israel adds the torture and rape allegations and Israel's rejection, and The Hindu, carrying the AP text, adds detail on the detainee accounts and the caveat that they are unverified.