Israel committing ‘genocidal’ acts in Gaza by targeting reproductive health: UN Report

A United Nations investigation concluded that Israel carried out “genocidal” acts in Gaza by systematically destroying sexual and reproductive health care facilities.

The report named “‘More than a human can bear’: Israel’s systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since October 2023“, released Thursday by the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry, claims that Israel intentionally targeted maternity hospitals, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics, and other reproductive health centers as part of its military offensive.

Findings of UN investigation

The commission found that Israeli forces deliberately attacked and destroyed Gaza’s primary fertility center, the Al-Basma IVF Clinic, in December 2023.

Israel’s widespread destruction of Gaza and the disproportionate violence against women and children resulting from Israel’s method of war, including the targeting of residential buildings and the indiscriminate use of heavy explosives in densely populated areas.

It describes the destruction of Palestinians through reproductive violence and harms resulting from the Israeli Security Forces’ deliberate attacks on sexual and reproductive health care facilities and the collapsed health care infrastructure in Gaza

U.N. Human Rights Council

The destruction reportedly resulted in the loss of around 4,000 embryos, affecting thousands of Palestinian patients.

According to the commission, Israel’s actions constitute “two categories of genocidal acts” as defined by the U.N. Genocide Convention:

• Deliberately inflicting conditions intended to bring about the physical destruction of a group.
• Imposing measures to prevent births within a group.

“These violations have not only caused severe immediate physical and mental harm and suffering to women and girls, but irreversible long-term effects on the reproductive and fertility prospects of Palestinians as a group,” commission chair Navi Pillay stated.

Israel rejects report

Israel dismissed the report’s conclusions, calling the allegations “unfounded” and accusing the commission of bias. “This is a shameless attempt to incriminate the Israeli army with a predetermined political agenda,” Israel’s mission in Geneva said in a statement.

Oren Marmorstein, spokesperson of the Israeli Foreign Ministry later said, “In regard to the blood libel published by the ‘Commission of Inquiry’: It is a sick document that only an antisemitic organization such as the U.N. could produce.”

The commission, however, stated that it found no credible evidence that the destroyed health care facilities were being used for military purposes.

It also emphasized that humanitarian aid, including essential medication for pregnant women and newborn care, had been systematically blocked.

Impact on Palestinian women and infants

The report details a worsening crisis for pregnant women, new mothers, and infants in Gaza.

The Israeli attacks in Gaza are characterised by an extremely high civilian casualty ratio in comparison with other armed conflicts in the last decades.

As of January 2025, 15 months into the attacks, over 46,000 persons have been killed by
Israeli forces in Gaza. Some 24,000 out of the 40,717 who have been identified are women, children and older persons, making up almost 59 percent of the identified fatalities. Another 11,000 persons are missing under the rubble and presumed dead.

Air and artillery strikes account for the majority of casualties.

U.N. Human Rights Council

The blockade of medical supplies has led to severe complications, including maternal and neonatal deaths due to a lack of essential prenatal and postnatal care.

“Women and girls have died from pregnancy and childbirth complications due to the conditions imposed by the Israeli authorities,” the report states, concluding that these acts amount to “crimes against humanity, including extermination.”

Among those confirmed as killed are some 7,216 women, making up around 18 percent of all persons killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. Reportedly, at least 1,213 women were killed in the month of October 2023, which makes it the most lethal month for Palestinian women in Gaza ever recorded, according to some experts

U.N. Human Rights Council

Sexual and gender-based violence allegations

The commission also presented findings from public hearings in Geneva, where victims and witnesses provided testimonies of reported sexual violence.

The measures imposed by Israel, coupled with repeated bombardment since October 2023, will have long -term effects on Gazan women’s fertility. We do not know the extent of these women’s trauma or the extent of the impact on their unborn babies, nor the long- term effect on the Palestinian people.

Director at health agency in Gaza

The report highlights:

• Forced public stripping and nudity.
• Sexual harassment and threats of rape.
• Incidents of sexual assault reportedly committed by Israeli forces.

These acts, the report claims, are part of Israeli security forces’ “standard operating procedures” toward Palestinians.

Giving birth in Gaza is like giving birth in the Middle Ages. There is no access to neonatal, prenatal or post-partum care. Basic equipment for childbirth, such as forceps, is not available, nor are crucial drugs such as hypertension medication to treat common and serious conditions such as preeclampsia. As a result, maternal morbidity, stillbirths, and miscarriages have increased.

Obstetrician in Gaza

International reactions and legal ramifications

The report has intensified calls for accountability at international forums, with some human rights organizations urging investigations by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Pillay stressed that the international community must act. “The lack of accountability in Israel’s military justice system sends a clear message that such acts can continue with impunity,” she said, urging legal action under universal jurisdiction.

The Commission has set forth the applicable law in its previous reports, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law.

The Commission notes that the Occupied Palestinian Territory remains occupied by Israel, and international humanitarian law applies concurrently with international human rights law. The Commission has consistently stated that Israel, as the Occupying Power, has obligations under international humanitarian law vis-à-vis protected persons and objects consistent with the law of occupation.

The Occupying Power must ensure that the population under occupation has adequate food, shelter and medical supplies. In addition, it must take special care to ensure the protection of protected persons such as women and children. International humanitarian law requires that expectant women and women with young babies or children be treated with particular care.

U.N. Human Rights Council

The U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry was established by the Human Rights Council in May 2021 to investigate reported violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.