In a report released on Tuesday (June 10), UN experts accused Israel of committing the crime against humanity of “extermination” by killing civilians taking refuge in schools and religious buildings in Gaza. The report describes these acts as part of a deliberate effort to erase Palestinian life. The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, will formally present the report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 17.

Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and head of the commission, stated, “We are witnessing mounting evidence that Israel is deliberately trying to eliminate Palestinian life in Gaza.” She further noted that attacks on Palestinian educational, religious, and cultural institutions could damage the future of entire generations and obstruct their right to self-determination.

The commission investigated whether international law was violated through strikes on educational, religious, and cultural infrastructure. Israel, which withdrew from the Human Rights Council in February, has previously accused it of bias. In March, the commission had reported that Israel carried out "genocidal acts" by systematically targeting women’s healthcare services in Gaza, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed as biased and antisemitic.

In its latest findings, the commission reported that over 90% of Gaza’s schools and universities, along with more than half of all religious and cultural sites, have been destroyed. It said Israeli forces committed war crimes, including deliberate attacks on civilians and unlawful killings, especially those sheltering in schools and places of worship. The conflict began after a surprise Hamas-led assault in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel and the capture of 251 hostages, according to Israeli sources. In retaliation, Israel launched a military offensive that has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

The report also pointed out that the damage to Palestinian education extended beyond Gaza, highlighting increased military operations and violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It documented incidents of harassment, suspensions, and arrests of students and educators—particularly women—both in these areas and within Israel itself, for expressing support for Gaza’s civilians.