All parties to the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel have systematically and intentionally violated international human rights law, according to the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Commission Chair Srinivasan Muralidhar stated, “Settler violence is a direct result of Israel’s policies supporting, facilitating, and protecting these actions. In contrast, Hamas-linked forces have exploited the vacuum created by relentless Israeli attacks and the widespread destruction of Gaza.” He added, “What is worryingly similar is the deliberate infliction of suffering on Palestinian civilians. Though their origins and motivations differ, both operate within environments engineered by Israel.”
Settlements, Annexation, and Displacement
The report documented a continued rise in settler attacks in the West Bank, resulting in at least seven Palestinian deaths and 832 injuries last year, a 130% increase compared to 2024. Israeli authorities were found to play a direct role in settler attacks by providing financial and military support and granting impunity from prosecution. The report indicated that settler violence “functions as a tool for the implementation of the State of Israel’s policy, with both the State and the settler groups using violence working towards the same strategic goals: the consolidation of Israeli settlements, the annexation of Palestinian land, and the expulsion of Palestinians from their land.”
The commission documented numerous instances of settlers attacking, abducting, and abusing Palestinian children while they were playing, going to school, or herding animals.
Sexual Violence Used to Instill Fear
Settlers have also engaged in acts of sexual violence or threatened sexual violence against Palestinians to instill fear and humiliate them. In one incident, a group of settlers attacked Palestinians in Khirbeit Humsa in March, beating women and girls and threatening rape if the family did not leave the land. The report detailed, “One man was stripped, sexually assaulted, had his genitals bound with a cable tie, dragged, and beaten and displayed.” While Israeli police reported seven arrests in connection with this assault, the Commission noted, “The Commission is unaware of any investigation or legal outcome.”
Executions and Violence in Gaza
In Gaza, the Commission identified 249 instances of executions and severe physical violence between 2024 and 2025, resulting in at least 108 deaths and 384 injuries. The report stated these incidents “included executions, bone-breaking with kneeing, metal pipes or cement bricks, and beatings, framed as punishments in response to allegations such as collaboration, looting of humanitarian aid, theft, drug-related offences or links to internal rivals.” Hamas-linked forces were implicated in at least 60 such events, including two public executions of men. The rapporteurs stated these actions constitute the war crimes of murder and torture, and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Muralidhar commented, “The Commission is gravely alarmed by the severity and public nature of Hamas’s punitive measures, which inflict deep trauma on an already traumatized civilian population.” He added that any future framework for peace and stability must include a clear and actionable commitment to accountability.
Attacks on Israeli Civilians
The rapporteurs also pointed to a notable increase in the killing and injury of Israeli civilians by Palestinian armed groups and individuals in 2023, expressing serious concerns that these attacks violate the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes. The report’s findings underscore the necessity of ensuring the protection of civilians and accountability for violations committed by all parties, among other recommendations. The report is set to be presented at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 15. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel was established by the Council in May 2021. The three Commission Members are neither UN staff nor paid for their work.
