UN Office, Geneva: On 23 January 2026, a new UN investigation team held its first press briefing in Geneva. The team said its main job right now is to record and examine violence by both governments and armed groups in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
This briefing comes after more than two years of heavy fighting that began with the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023 and the military actions that followed.
The Commission was created by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021. Its role is to look into possible violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in these areas since April 2021. In simple terms, it aims to find out what happened, collect and study evidence, and suggest ways to hold those responsible accountable for serious crimes.
Who Are the Commissioners
The Commission consists of three expert members appointed by the President of the Human Rights Council. As of January 2026, its members include:
- Srinivasan Muralidhar (India) – serving as one of the expert commissioners, bringing legal and human rights expertise.
- Florence Mumba (Zambia) – legal expert with experience in international law.
- Chris Sidoti (Australia) – experienced in human rights monitoring and commissions of inquiry.
These appointments follow the tenure of Navanethem “Navi” Pillay (South Africa), a former International Criminal Court judge and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who chaired earlier phases of the inquiry until late 2025.
What the Commission Has Found to Date
Although the Commission’s newly appointed members gave their first briefing in January 2026, the Commission itself has been working for years, regularly investigating events and publishing reports.
In its first major report in June 2024, the Commission said both sides committed serious crimes. It found that Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, deliberately attacked civilians, killed and tortured them, and took hostages. At the same time, it found that Israeli forces also committed war crimes, including using starvation as a weapon, heavily bombing civilian areas and infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes, committing sexual violence, arbitrarily detaining civilians, and carrying out acts that amount to crimes against humanity. The Commission based these findings on thousands of witness accounts and satellite images, which showed patterns of violence that did not match lawful military conduct.
In September 2025, the Commission released a legal analysis that received global attention. It said Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 2023 appeared to satisfy four of the five acts listed in the Genocide Convention. It also noted that public statements by senior Israeli leaders could point to genocidal intent. The Commission urged that genocide charges be added to ICC arrest warrants and called for an immediate ceasefire and full access for humanitarian aid.
The Commission has also reported evidence of systematic sexual and gender-based violence by Israeli security forces and settlers. It concluded that some of these acts were carried out deliberately to dominate, punish, or intimidate Palestinians, making them serious violations of international humanitarian law.
Legal Mandate and International Law Foundations
Although January 2026 was the first briefing by the newly appointed members of the Commission, their role is clearly defined. The Commission has to judge everyone involved using the same set of international rules. These rules come from international humanitarian law (like the Geneva Conventions) and international human rights law.
This means that both Israel, as a State, and armed groups like Hamas are legally bound by these rules. No side is allowed to target civilians, take hostages, punish whole communities, or carry out attacks on civilians. These basic rules apply even to non-State armed groups, not just governments.
The Commission’s job is not limited to identifying violations. It must also look at the deeper reasons behind the violence such as long-standing discrimination and ongoing conflict conditions and suggest ways to ensure accountability, justice, and better respect for international law in the future.
Events and Violence Under Investigation
The Commission is looking into serious events linked to the Gaza war, violence by settlers in the West Bank, and reported mistreatment of people in detention centres. Aid groups and civil society organizations have given evidence about killings, sexual violence, destruction of homes, large-scale displacement of people, and attacks on hospitals and humanitarian workers. All these claims form part of the growing body of information that the Commission must carefully check and officially record.
Accountability and Cooperation Challenges
The Commission has said many times that it can only do its job properly if governments and authorities cooperate. However, its work on the ground has been difficult because it is often denied access, does not receive enough cooperation, and faces funding and practical limits within the UN system.
To ensure accountability, the Commission shares its findings with bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC). Based on these findings, the ICC has issued arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and military leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. In 2024, the ICC also issued a warrant against Hamas’s military leadership.
Precedent and International Jurisprudence
Since 2022, the Commission has been publishing yearly reports that document attacks in both areas and examine how civil society groups, human rights activists, and civilian facilities are being restricted or harmed. In a 2024 paper, it clearly stated that occupying Palestinian territory is illegal under international law and urged all countries not to support or help in actions that break international law.
Policy and Legal Implications Forward
The Commission’s work matters far beyond this report. The evidence it has collected could later be used to hold individuals criminally responsible, including through international courts or cases in national courts around the world. Countries that support or assist either side could also come under legal pressure if that support helps in carrying out illegal acts.
Its findings may shape how humanitarian aid is planned and delivered, especially if abuses are shown to be widespread and systematic. Diplomatically, repeated conclusions about unlawful occupation and violence can strain relationships between states, influence decisions on selling weapons, and affect peace talks.
Going forward, the Commission will keep reporting every year to the UN Human Rights Council and the General Assembly. It will also review specific issues like arms transfers and continue pushing all sides to cooperate with its investigations.
ALSO READ | Supreme Court Seeks CBI, ED Status Reports in Anil Ambani Bank Fraud Case
