A landmark United Nations investigation has intensified international scrutiny of Israel after accusing its security forces of deliberately targeting Palestinian children during the war in Gaza. The report calls for an immediate halt to arms transfers that could contribute to alleged violations of international law and urges governments to support accountability measures, while Israel strongly rejects the findings as biased and politically motivated.
![Former Indian Judge Srinivasan Muralidhar [Screengrab/Reuters]](https://www.aptikons.com/view/Screenshot-2026-07-08-212557.png)
NEW DELHI, India – A retired Indian judge who once found himself at the center of political controversy in his own country is now leading one of the United Nations’ most comprehensive investigations into the devastating impact of the war in Gaza on Palestinian children. The inquiry, which examines allegations of widespread violations of international law during nearly two years of conflict, has placed Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar at the forefront of a global debate over accountability, civilian protection, and the humanitarian consequences of modern warfare.
Justice Muralidhar, 64, has become the chair of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, a body tasked with investigating alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law arising from the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The commission’s latest report, released on June 23, presents one of the most detailed assessments to date of the impact of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza on Palestinian children between October 2023 and October 2025.
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The appointment marks another significant chapter in the career of Muralidhar, whose judicial independence has long attracted international attention. In 2020, while serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court, he was unexpectedly transferred to another court in the middle of the night, a move that critics claimed was intended to prevent him from taking legal action against a politician affiliated with India’s ruling party. Although the Indian government denied political interference, the transfer sparked widespread concern among legal experts and human rights advocates over judicial independence.
Six years later, Muralidhar now presides over a commission whose findings are expected to shape international discussions on accountability for actions committed during one of the deadliest chapters of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The commission itself was established by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 with a broad mandate to investigate alleged violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, East Jerusalem, and Israel. Unlike previous investigative bodies established for limited periods or specific incidents, this commission has an ongoing mandate to examine both immediate violations and the underlying causes that continue to fuel the conflict.
Justice Muralidhar joined the commission in November before assuming its chairmanship, bringing decades of judicial experience to one of the United Nations’ most politically sensitive investigations.
The 94-page report presents extensive documentation concerning the effects of the conflict on Palestinian children. According to the commission’s findings, at least 20,179 Palestinian children were killed during the two-year period under review, representing nearly 30 percent of all reported Palestinian deaths. The investigation further states that more than 44,000 children were injured, while an estimated 58,000 children lost one or both parents, leaving thousands of families permanently devastated by the conflict.
Beyond casualty figures, the commission describes what it characterizes as recurring patterns in military operations that allegedly placed children at exceptional risk. The report documents allegations that children were killed or wounded by sniper fire and precision drone strikes in circumstances requiring further investigation. It also examines the humanitarian consequences of restrictions on aid deliveries into Gaza, concluding that shortages of food, medicine, clean water, and essential supplies contributed to worsening malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and declining childhood immunization rates.
Investigators also expressed concern over attacks affecting maternity wards, neonatal intensive care units, and other healthcare facilities responsible for treating pregnant women and newborn infants. The report argues that damage to Gaza’s already fragile healthcare infrastructure significantly increased the vulnerability of infants and young children during the conflict.
In addition to events inside Gaza, the commission examined allegations concerning Palestinian children living in the occupied West Bank. According to the report, investigators documented claims involving arbitrary detention, mistreatment, torture, and various forms of sexual violence against minors. The commission stated that these allegations require thorough investigation under international legal standards governing the protection of children during armed conflict.
The report forms part of the United Nations’ continuing efforts to assess compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly provisions contained in the Geneva Conventions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other international agreements designed to protect civilians during war.
The commission’s conclusions are likely to intensify already polarized international reactions to the conflict. Human rights organizations have repeatedly called for greater accountability regarding civilian casualties, while Israeli officials have consistently rejected accusations that their military deliberately targets civilians. Israel has maintained that its military operations are directed against Hamas and other armed groups, arguing that those organizations operate within densely populated civilian areas, thereby complicating military operations.
The commission’s investigation does not itself impose legal penalties or determine criminal liability. Instead, its role is to gather evidence, establish factual records, and provide findings that may inform future decisions by international institutions, including potential judicial proceedings or diplomatic initiatives.
International legal experts note that reports produced by independent UN commissions often become important reference documents in future discussions concerning accountability, sanctions, or possible proceedings before international courts. Although the commission lacks enforcement authority, its findings contribute to the broader international record concerning the conduct of parties involved in armed conflicts.
Justice Muralidhar’s leadership of the inquiry has also drawn attention because of his longstanding reputation for judicial independence and commitment to constitutional rights during his career in India. Supporters argue that his legal background strengthens the commission’s credibility, while critics of the inquiry continue to question both its methodology and conclusions.
As the war’s humanitarian consequences continue to reverberate across the region, the commission’s report adds to growing international concern over the heavy toll the conflict has taken on children. The investigation underscores the immense human cost of prolonged warfare, particularly for civilians who often bear the greatest burden of violence despite having no direct role in hostilities.
While debates over legal responsibility and political accountability are expected to continue, the report reinforces one undeniable reality: children remain among the conflict’s most vulnerable victims. As the international community weighs the commission’s findings, renewed calls are likely to emerge for stronger protections for civilians, expanded humanitarian assistance, and greater efforts to ensure that international humanitarian law is upheld in one of the world’s most enduring and devastating conflicts.
UN Report Intensifies Global Scrutiny of Israel as Commission Urges Accountability Over Gaza Child Deaths
The United Nations’ independent investigation into the war in Gaza has intensified international calls for accountability after its latest report recommended that countries around the world suspend arms transfers to Israel that could contribute to alleged acts of genocide and cooperate with efforts to bring individuals accused of war crimes before international justice. The recommendations have placed renewed focus on the responsibilities of governments, military allies, and private companies whose support could influence one of the world’s most closely watched conflicts.
The report, released by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, argues that the scale of civilian suffering particularly among children requires stronger international action to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law. The commission urged all UN member states to halt the transfer of weapons and military equipment that “have involved or could involve the commission of genocide,” while also calling on governments to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar, the retired Indian judge who currently chairs the commission, said the evidence gathered during the investigation pointed to a disturbing pattern of violence affecting Palestinian children throughout the conflict.
“The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by the Israeli security forces,” Muralidhar said while discussing the commission’s findings.
Israel strongly rejected the report and dismissed its conclusions in their entirety. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the document as a “libellous sham,” accusing the commission of operating with the predetermined objective of discrediting Israel while ignoring atrocities committed by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks.
Israeli officials argued that the report failed to acknowledge Israeli children who were killed, kidnapped, or otherwise victimized during the Hamas assault on southern Israel. The ministry also reiterated Israel’s longstanding position that Hamas routinely uses Palestinian civilians, including children, as human shields by embedding military operations within densely populated residential neighborhoods.
The commission, however, disputed those claims in relation to many of the cases it investigated.
Muralidhar rejected assertions that Hamas’s alleged use of human shields could explain the widespread deaths documented by investigators. According to him, much of the evidence reviewed by the commission indicated that many Palestinian children were killed while engaged in ordinary daily activities rather than participating in or supporting armed hostilities.
He emphasized that the report documented incidents involving children who were inside homes, attending schools, seeking humanitarian assistance, or simply carrying out normal routines when they became casualties of military operations.
The commission’s findings also highlighted statements made by several Israeli political figures during the early stages of the war that investigators believe contributed to concerns over inflammatory rhetoric directed toward Palestinians.
Among those cited was Knesset Deputy Speaker Nissim Vaturi, who, in the days following the October 7 attacks, publicly declared that no Palestinian child should remain in Gaza and called for the expulsion of the remaining population to eliminate any opportunity for recovery.
Investigators argued that such public statements contribute to a broader environment requiring careful examination under international legal standards governing armed conflict and civilian protection.
The latest report builds upon an earlier investigation released by the commission in September, which concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe Israeli authorities were committing genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza. Although a ceasefire agreement was reached approximately one month after that report, Muralidhar said the humanitarian situation has continued to deteriorate.
“The air strikes are continuing, the killings are continuing and the situation is dire. It is really precarious,” he said during an interview discussing conditions inside Gaza.
Despite repeated diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing hostilities, humanitarian organizations continue to report severe shortages of food, clean water, medicine, fuel, and medical supplies throughout Gaza. International agencies have repeatedly warned that children remain among the most vulnerable victims of the conflict, facing heightened risks of starvation, disease, displacement, and psychological trauma.
For Muralidhar, however, the report’s greatest significance lies not simply in documenting civilian suffering but in laying the groundwork for future legal accountability.
He argued that international law extends responsibility beyond those directly involved in military operations. According to his interpretation of the Geneva Conventions and other international legal frameworks, countries whose citizens serve in foreign armed forces also carry obligations to investigate and prosecute alleged violations upon those individuals’ return home if sufficient evidence exists.
The commission believes that accountability should extend wherever credible evidence demonstrates violations of international humanitarian law, regardless of nationality or political alliances.
Muralidhar acknowledged that participating in such investigations carries personal and professional risks. Although he said he has not personally received threats since the report’s publication, fellow commissioner Chris Sidoti has reportedly faced online harassment and coordinated trolling following the release of the commission’s findings.
The broader international accountability movement has likewise encountered increasing political pressure. Officials associated with investigations involving Israel have faced criticism, diplomatic opposition, and, in some instances, sanctions. Supporters of international legal institutions argue that such pressures threaten the independence of bodies tasked with investigating alleged violations of international law, while critics maintain that certain investigations unfairly single out Israel.
Muralidhar said that despite these challenges, pursuing accountability remains essential.
After more than four decades in the legal profession, he described leading the investigation as a responsibility he could not ignore, arguing that the international community is increasingly questioning whether existing legal institutions remain capable of enforcing humanitarian law during modern conflicts.
“Everybody is looking at what’s happening in Palestine,” he said. “They want to know why international law and systems aren’t working here.”
The publication of the report also places renewed attention on India’s evolving relationship with Israel, a development carrying particular significance given Muralidhar’s own nationality.
For decades after gaining independence in 1947, India maintained strong diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause and became one of the earliest non-Arab countries to recognize Palestinian aspirations for statehood. That position gradually shifted over the past decade as relations between New Delhi and Jerusalem expanded into one of the region’s closest strategic partnerships.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, India has become one of Israel’s largest defense customers, purchasing a substantial share of Israeli military exports while significantly expanding cooperation in defense manufacturing, technology, intelligence, cybersecurity, and infrastructure.
One of the most prominent examples involves the Adani Group, headed by billionaire Gautam Adani, which established a joint venture with Israeli defense company Elbit Systems to manufacture Hermes 900 drones at a facility in Hyderabad. Additional Indian firms, including Tonbo Imaging, Bharat Forge, and Tech Mahindra, have also entered partnerships with Israeli defense industries.
In 2023, the Adani Group further strengthened economic ties by acquiring a controlling interest in Israel’s strategically important Haifa Port alongside Israeli company Gadot.
Asked whether such commercial partnerships could expose India to legal or ethical responsibility, Muralidhar argued that accountability is not confined to any single country.
According to him, responsibility extends to any government, corporation, or institution that supplies weapons, logistics, technology, or other resources capable of sustaining armed conflicts where alleged violations of international law occur.
“It can be any country or company, through arms or through logistics,” he said, emphasizing that conflict-related responsibility increasingly transcends national borders.
The transformation of India-Israel relations has become one of the defining geopolitical shifts of the past decade. In 2017, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, symbolizing a historic departure from previous diplomatic traditions and ushering in a period of unprecedented political, military, and economic cooperation between the two governments.
That partnership has continued to deepen through expanded defense agreements, technology transfers, and high-level diplomatic engagement, reflecting shared strategic interests in security and regional stability.
As debates surrounding the Gaza conflict continue to divide governments, international organizations, and legal institutions, the commission’s report adds fresh momentum to calls for accountability while simultaneously exposing the increasingly complex network of political, economic, and military relationships surrounding one of the world’s most contentious conflicts. Whether the recommendations ultimately translate into legal action remains uncertain, but the report has undoubtedly intensified global scrutiny over the conduct of the war and the responsibilities of states whose support may influence its course.
Veteran Indian Jurist Appointed to Lead UN Gaza Inquiry After Career Marked by Landmark Human Rights Decisions
Veteran Indian jurist and former chief justice S. Muralidhar has emerged as one of the world’s most respected voices on justice and human rights after being entrusted with leading a United Nations inquiry into alleged violations in Gaza, capping a legal career defined by fearless rulings, defense of civil liberties, and unwavering advocacy for marginalized communities.
Muralidhar’s journey in the legal profession began in 1984 in Chennai before he moved to New Delhi three years later to practice before the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court. During his years as an advocate, he represented several constitutional bodies, including India’s National Human Rights Commission and Election Commission, while dedicating much of his work to pro bono cases involving victims of some of the country’s most significant human rights tragedies.
Among the most notable cases he handled were those involving survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, regarded as one of the deadliest industrial accidents in history, as well as communities displaced by the controversial Narmada River dam projects. His commitment to public service extended beyond litigation, earning him recognition as a lawyer deeply invested in ensuring justice for vulnerable sectors of society.
His academic credentials also strengthened his legal standing. In 2003, he earned a doctorate in law from the University of Delhi, further establishing himself as a respected legal scholar before his appointment as a judge of the Delhi High Court in 2006.
Throughout his judicial career, Muralidhar became known for decisions that reinforced constitutional rights and accountability. One of his most significant rulings came in 2018 when his bench convicted former parliamentarian Sajjan Kumar for his role in inciting violence during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, overturning an earlier acquittal and sentencing him to life imprisonment. The landmark judgment was widely viewed as a major step toward justice for thousands of victims decades after the violence.
The same year, Muralidhar presided over proceedings involving the disappearance of university student Najeeb Ahmad, criticizing India’s premier investigative agency for what he described as a complete lack of urgency in pursuing the case. His court emphasized that public demonstrations demanding answers reflected a legitimate democratic expression of concern over the unresolved disappearance.
He also delivered another historic ruling by convicting 16 police officers involved in the custodial killings of more than 40 Muslim men during the 1987 Hashimpura massacre, reversing a lower court verdict that had acquitted the accused despite evidence confirming the killings had occurred.
Muralidhar’s reputation for judicial independence became even more pronounced during the deadly communal violence that erupted in New Delhi in February 2020. Amid reports that emergency pleas from injured civilians had gone unanswered, he convened an extraordinary midnight hearing from his residence to facilitate safe passage for critically wounded victims seeking hospital treatment. Legal advocates later credited the urgent intervention with preventing further loss of life.
Soon afterward, his bench ordered authorities to examine evidence related to alleged hate speech by political leaders and directed police to register a criminal case within 24 hours. The ruling intensified national attention, but shortly afterward the government issued an overnight transfer order reassigning Muralidhar to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a move that sparked widespread criticism from lawyers, opposition figures, and civil society organizations.
Despite the transfer, Muralidhar maintained his firm judicial approach. During his tenure in Punjab and Haryana, he denied parole to Sanji Ram, who had been convicted of orchestrating the 2018 gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl belonging to a Muslim nomadic community in Indian-administered Kashmir.
In January 2021, he was elevated as Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, where he served until his retirement in August 2023. His departure from the judiciary was marked by an emotional farewell as hundreds of lawyers lined the corridors of the courthouse, showering him with flowers in recognition of his integrity and years of public service.
Despite an extensive record of landmark rulings, legal expertise, and academic achievement, Muralidhar was never appointed to the Supreme Court of India. Many legal observers and human rights advocates have argued that his uncompromising stance in politically sensitive cases may have influenced his career trajectory.
Those who worked closely with him have continued to praise his commitment to justice. Human rights lawyers and activists have maintained that his insistence on government accountability demonstrated the independence expected of the judiciary, even if it came at personal and professional cost.
Beyond the courtroom, Muralidhar has consistently spoken about the importance of equal justice under the law. In public lectures, he has argued that legal systems often disproportionately affect marginalized communities, including religious minorities and historically disadvantaged groups, while urging lawyers to view their profession as a lifelong commitment to combating injustice.
Reflecting on his philosophy, Muralidhar has often reminded members of the legal profession that every advocate has a responsibility to stand with those who cannot defend themselves. He has emphasized that practicing law is not merely a career but a rare privilege, urging lawyers never to retreat from the pursuit of justice because every voice lost in that fight leaves one fewer person to challenge injustice. / Alzajeera, JSA Aptikons
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