A new report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, reveals that the Israeli government is pursuing a strategy to establish permanent control over the Gaza Strip while ensuring a Jewish majority in the occupied West Bank and within Israel. The Commission investigated land and housing developments across all areas of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, documenting historical patterns of land confiscation, population displacement, discriminatory housing policies, and settlement expansion.
In Gaza, the Commission found that Israeli authorities have systematically demolished civilian infrastructure in buffer zones and corridors, expanding areas under their control to cover 75 percent of the territory by July 2025. These actions have severely reduced the land available to Palestinians and restricted their ability to exercise self-determination. The report concluded that the destruction of civilian property, forced transfers, and deprivation of resources were deliberate actions intended to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinian population in Gaza, constituting acts of genocide attributable to the State of Israel. Israeli leaders, including the President, Prime Minister, and former Defence Minister, were also found to have incited genocide.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli policies since October 2023—including support for violent settler actions—demonstrate intent to forcibly transfer Palestinians, expand Jewish settlements, and annex large parts of the territory, undermining any prospects for Palestinian statehood. Military operations in refugee camps such as Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams have destroyed infrastructure and displaced residents, with some demolitions carried out as punitive measures without military justification, amounting to collective punishment. The Commission expressed particular concern over Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s plan to annex 82 percent of the West Bank and the E1 settlement expansion, which Israeli leaders claim will prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The report also highlighted discriminatory policies within Israel, including laws and practices that restrict Palestinian movement, limit access to Jewish localities, and maintain socio-economic inequalities. These measures, along with similar policies in the West Bank, indicate a broader strategy to secure a Jewish majority across areas under Israeli control and reduce Palestinians’ geographical self-determination.
Six Israeli ministers were identified as bearing significant responsibility for international crimes related to land and housing, as well as other offenses. Former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and current Defence Minister Israel Katz are accountable for Gaza operations, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlements Minister Orit Strock for West Bank settlement expansion, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for mistreatment of Palestinian detainees, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for overall responsibility in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including ordering acts constituting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Netanyahu and Gallant were also found responsible for incitement to genocide.
The Commission urged Israel to immediately end genocidal actions in Gaza, comply with International Court of Justice measures and advisory opinions, dismantle settlements and settlers from the West Bank and other occupied territories, and reverse discriminatory land and housing policies within Israel. The report will be presented to the UN General Assembly’s 80th session on 28 October 2025 in New York.
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