In a ground-breaking report released on 16 September, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded the Palestinian region occupied Israel’s actions in Gaza form a massacre.
The Commission, headed by the High Commissioner of the former United Nations of the Human Rights Navi Pillay, spent two years to collect and verify the evidence of two years, which led to a documentation of over 60,000 Palestinian deaths – which included 18,000 children – and civilian infrastructure, health facilities and the biggest breeding clinics of Gaza.
In this special interview with Munif Khan, Ms. Pillay discussed the conclusions of the Commission, the legal and moral obligations of the international community, the risks generated by high-profile diplomatic initiatives, and immediate steps to take immediate steps to prevent further atrocities to the states and take immediate steps to ensure further atrocities.
With the conclusion that Israel is a massacre in Gaza, your report has set one of the highest possible legal thresholds. What should the international community take from this discovery, and what are its immediate implications?
Thanks for accepting the importance of the report. Before reaching these conclusions, we started collecting two years, verifying and checking the evidence. First, the international community does not need to wait for the report from the United Nations Body like the Commission, nor the decision on the massacre by an international court, such as the ICJ. The third states have not only a responsibility under international law to punish the massacre, but also to stop it, at least one duty since January 2024, through the first provisional measures ordered by the ICJ in the application of South Africa against Israel. The Commission’s report is the most official United Nations Body Report to date. We implemented a stringent standard used by ICJ about the specific intentions of the genocide conference. Therefore, the report should be considered as a strong indicator by the international community that they should now work to prevent the ongoing massacre in the Gaza Strip. It is a pre-Khali obligation on every state to prevent and punish the massacre. The Commission has also provided concrete recommendations, which should be taken and implemented seriously without any delay.
US President Donald Trump’s 20-Bindu scheme for Gaza has just broken. How do you look at this scheme in relation to the findings of your Commission, and more importantly, are you concerned about whether such a high-profile diplomatic initiative, which is often operated by power politics rather than international law, can marginalize or receive the accountability system of United Nations like your Commission?
Our recommendations match immediate ceasefire and global public demands for a solution. I am not recommending a two-state solution, although the United Nations does, and Palestine’s participation is important. The recent recognition of Palestine as a state at a high-level summit is important. We are careful when political leaders gather privately to prepare a solution; Such procedures should be open for investigation by media, NGOs and public. This report should be considered in talks, with its documented facts and conclusions.
To repeat, do you think the high-profile diplomatic initiative can oversee your Commission’s findings, for example, because the global meditation has shifted to this 20-point scheme for Gaza?
This is why I emphasize the expectations of the people of the world. They align with our calls to investigate and prosecute the massacre. There should be not only peace but justice and accountability. A superficial or temporary peace producing interactions can reduce the risk if they do not take into account the findings of the report.
The commission, which verified more than 60,000 Palestinians, was killed, including more than 18,000 children and about 10,000 women. What does these figures indicate who was targeted?
More than 50% of the people killed in Gaza were women, children and elderly people – citizens, not fighters. The Commission analyzed war methods and the types of weapons used by the Israeli security forces, revealing a consistent pattern that aims to the number of widespread casualties. This claim is inappropriate and unfair, claiming that Israel was operating Hamas, protecting himself, or destroying safe hostages. Large -scale murders and resulting severe physical and mental disadvantages display a consistent pattern that reflects the intention of physically destroying the Palestinians in Gaza as a group.
Research quoted in your report shows that Gaza’s life expectancy fell for about 35 years in a year, from 75.5 to 40.5. Why is this demographic collapse group an important indicator of destruction?
The Commission cited this data to show direct links between Israeli’s action and a decline in life expectancy since October 7, 2023. Limited access to murders, healthcare, starvation and malnutrition has contributed directly to this collapse. Such situations are shocking and indicate a deliberate construction of leading conditions for the death of Palestinians, which supports the discovery of the intentions of the genocide.
In December 2023, an Israeli strike destroyed Gaza’s largest breeding clinic, with about 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm samples. How does this act come under the prohibition of the massacre conference regarding the prevention of births within a group?
The clinic was the only breeding center in Gaza, known for its stored reproductive materials. Israeli forces launched a tank shell, colliding to the clinic, which exploded five liquid nitrogen tanks, destroying all the reproductive materials stored for future Palestinian births. The law does not require real prevention of births to qualify as a genocide; The purpose of the Act should be to prevent birth with the intention of destroying a group. Experts confirmed that the destruction of the IVF Clinic would result in generations. The Commission found that Israeli officials knew the work of the site and deliberately destroyed it, fulfilling elements of the genocide.
Since May 2025, at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed to demand food, including 859 at human distribution sites and 515 with routes. Why did the Commission consider these murders to be central for its analysis of the massacre policy?
The intention of the massacre can be estimated from the overall evidence, including patterns of conduct and statement by political leaders. At human sites, murders were considered part of this totality. Medical professionals testified about children, including a one and a half year old girl, shot in their mother’s arms. Citizens, especially the broad and systematic targets of children, were found to be part of the strategy to destroy the Palestinian group.
On March 23, 2025, 15 first respondents were killed as a rhythm, and the ambulance was converted into large -scale tombs. What did your investigation conclude about this incident and the methods of Israel’s war?
The video denied Israeli’s false statements. The Commission found that the first respondents were intentionally shot in an extended period, indicating with the intention of killing and killing knowledge that the victims were Palestinians. The attack fits a broad pattern of targeting healthcare workers and destroying the medical system of Gaza, which further gives evidence to the intention of massacre.
The Commission determined that Israel did four underlying massacre work: murders, serious losses, destruction of living conditions, and preventing births. What was decisive in separating the massacre from other international crimes?
The intention of the massacre requires evidence that the acts were committed to the purpose of destroying the acts, whole or partially, with a protected group. This can be shown through direct evidence, such as statement by authorities, and circumstantial evidence, including patterns of conduct. Many indicators were found in our analysis: deliberate murder of citizens, systematic attacks on cultural and educational sites, starvation and blockade, destruction of health systems, broad sexual and gender-based violence, and systematic targeting of children. Together, these are a clear intentions to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.
You highlighted the statements of directly abetment by Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yo Galant. Why are these legally important?
These statements provide direct evidence of intentions. Sri Netanyahu promised “powerful vengeance” on Gaza on 7 October 2023, while instructing the residents to leave the entire city, the civilian population also had a goal. Mr. Galant announced a complete siege and inhuman Palestinians promising total destruction. Mr. Hardog said that the whole nation was responsible. These statements display the policy and intentions, justifying the recommendation to examine these persons for the massacre.
Your report warns that weapons or political support risk that dissolve your duties to prevent massacre. What concrete steps should governments take?
States should ensure that the Israel ICJ implements provisional measures, preventing conduct that can form the genocide acts, including weapons transfer, and shut down the transfer of devices or objects such as jet fuels if they can facilitate genocide. States should investigate and punish the domestic genocide, ensure that corporations or individuals are not complicated under their jurisdiction, restrictions are not implemented, ICC facilitates investigation, and supporting ICJ proceedings such as South Africa vs. Israel. India should be proud that he has a judge from India in that court. Therefore, it is a matter of shame if India is found complex with Israel or they are found to be complex by giving them weapons.
You recommend that ICC pursue the massacre fee. Which acts should prioritize prosecutors?
All the underlying works of the massacre – killings, serious disadvantages, destruction of life situation, and prevention of births – should be investigated. The ICC prosecutor should honor the freedom of the office by investigating the crimes documented by the Commission, which displays a consistent pattern of the intention of the genocide.
Munif Khan is an independent journalist.
