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Israeli forces, Hamas and different Palestinian equipped groups person some committed serious violations of planetary humanitarian instrumentality successful Gaza and carried retired atrocity crimes, a U.N. report published connected Thursday (February 19, 2026) said.
Intensified Israeli attacks and the forcible transportation of Palestinians appeared aimed astatine a imperishable demographic displacement successful Gaza, “raising concerns implicit taste cleansing,” the study by the U.N. quality rights bureau said.
The holding and mistreatment of hostages by the Hamas Islamist militant radical whitethorn magnitude to warfare crimes, it said.
Israel’s imperishable ngo successful Geneva dismissed the report’s findings astir Israel’s actions, and said successful a connection that the U.N. quality rights bureau had mislaid its credibility.
“Office of the High Commissioner is engaged successful a vicious run of demonization and disinformation against the State of Israel,” it said.
Hamas did not instantly respond to requests for comment.
Ethnic cleansing concerns
The 17-page study investigated events successful Gaza from November 2024 to October 31, 2025.
Hamas attacked confederate Israel successful October 2023, sidesplitting implicit 1,200 radical and taking implicit 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s subject violative successful Gaza has killed much than 72,000 people, the Palestinian wellness ministry says.
A U.S.-brokered ceasefire went into unit past October aft 2 years of warfare that damaged buildings crossed Gaza, displaced astir of its residents and led to a humanitarian crisis. Israel inactive holds implicit fractional the enclave.
Israel’s actions had imposed “conditions of beingness progressively incompatible with Palestinians’ continued beingness arsenic a radical successful Gaza”, the study said.
Famine recovered successful immoderate parts of Gaza past August by a planetary hunger show and malnutrition resulted straight from Israel’s actions, the study said.
Militarised organisation centres tally by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) backed by Israel and the United States “failed utterly” to present humanitarian assistance astatine the standard required, violating Israel’s obligations nether planetary humanitarian law, it said.
Israeli practices successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank indicated an accelerating effort to consolidate the annexation of ample parts of occupied Palestinian territory, with unlawful usage of unit by Israeli information forces, the study said.
“During the reporting period, intensified attacks, the methodical demolition of full neighbourhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to purpose astatine a imperishable demographic displacement successful Gaza,” it said.
“This, unneurotic with forcible transfers, which look to purpose astatine a imperishable displacement, rise concerns implicit taste cleansing successful Gaza and the West Bank.”
Concerns astir Hamas’ Actions
The study recovered that the sidesplitting past June of 12 Palestinian unit associated with the GHF by equipped men, including imaginable summary executions, may magnitude to warfare crimes by Hamas. Hamas has declined to remark connected the shootings.
The study raised concerns astir the usage of civilians arsenic quality shields to prevent Israeli attacks, thing Hamas has denied doing, and outlined unnecessary oregon disproportionate usage of unit by the Palestinian Authority successful the West Bank.
The holding of and mistreatment of hostages taken successful the Hamas onslaught connected Israel successful 2023 whitethorn magnitude to warfare crimes and perchance other atrocity crimes, the study said. It cited allegations of torture, beating and deprivation of food.
“There indispensable besides beryllium accountability for superior violations of planetary law, including imaginable planetary crimes, by Hamas and its equipped wing, Al Qassam Brigades arsenic good arsenic different Palestinian equipped groups,” it said.
