⏱ 1 min 30 read
Background
The independent international commission of inquiry was set up in 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council. In 2025, it concluded that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, which the Israeli authorities reject.
The key points
In a report published on 26 October 2026, the commission accuses Israel of crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the West Bank. It cites extermination, torture, rape and other sexual violence, as well as persecution.
The commission also maintains its accusations of genocide in Gaza, despite the ceasefire agreed in October 2025. The report was published just before the Israeli general election.
Key figures
- Palestinians killed by air strikes in the West Bank between 2008 and 6 October 2023: six.
- Palestinians killed by air strikes between 7 October 2023 and 30 September 2026: 254.
- People still displaced in the West Bank in August 2026: 34,176, according to the commission.
- Palestinians displaced in an operation in Hebron the previous week: more than 2,000, according to the High Commissioner.
Who says what
The commission: its chair Srinivasan Muralidhar describes a strategy aimed at displacing Palestinians and imposing unlivable conditions on them.
Israel: the Israeli mission in Geneva denounces a disinformation campaign. Ambassador Daniel Meron calls for the "immediate dissolution" of the commission.
The UN: High Commissioner Volker Türk describes the measures taken in Hebron as "punitive". António Guterres warns of the spectre of ethnic cleansing.
What's next
Israel rejects these accusations and calls on the international community to demand the commission's dissolution. The commission's former chair, Navi Pillay, is the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
