Israel’s U.N. ambassador has condemned a recent U.N. report alleging the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children, labeling it a politically motivated attack against the Jewish state.
Israel has expressed strong discontent over a new report from the United Nations’ Commission of Inquiry (COI) that claims the country has engaged in the “deliberate targeting of Palestinian children.” This latest report, released on Wednesday, follows previous accusations of antisemitism and incitement to violence directed at earlier findings from the COI regarding the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.
The report asserts that, based on the evidence reviewed, the Commission finds reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed acts that constitute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, criticized the report, stating, “This is not an investigative report. It is a political blood libel disguised as a U.N. document.” He argued that the commission reaches its conclusions without thoroughly examining the facts, and he accused it of consistently publishing reports aimed solely at vilifying Israel. Danon emphasized that the report ignores the actions of Hamas, including the October 7 massacre and the use of children and civilians as human shields, while unfairly placing Israel in a position of blame.
“Israel will continue to defend its citizens and fight terrorism, regardless of how many false reports are published by fringe actors within U.N. institutions,” Danon added.
Representatives from the COI and the Human Rights Council did not respond to requests for comment regarding the concerns raised about the report. When asked for a reaction from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, stated that it was not Guterres’ report to comment on.
During a press briefing, Muralidhar Srinivasan, Chair of the Commission, asserted that the evidence indicates Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted and killed by Israeli security forces. He noted that even after the ceasefire in October 2025, children continue to be killed and seriously injured, demonstrating a disregard for international law and the protection owed to Palestinian children.
Anne Bayefsky, President of Human Rights Voices and Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, criticized the COI’s inquiry as a “sham,” claiming it lacks legal authority and systematically violates principles of fairness and impartiality. She pointed out that the first COI report on children failed to mention the tragic murders of 9-month-old Kfir Bibas and 4-year-old Ariel Bibas, while also ignoring the trauma experienced by hundreds of thousands of Israeli children due to the events of October 7 and subsequent mass displacement.
Bayefsky further complained that the current COI report was withheld from the public until just before a press conference, which she described as a “stage-managed” event designed to evade accountability for what she termed “wild, unverified accusations.”
Another member of the commission stated that the report clearly indicates that international legal norms have been violated by Israeli authorities concerning Palestinian children, and called for accountability.
Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, argued that the report lacks evidence to support its claims against Israel and is filled with methodological inconsistencies. He characterized the report as an escalation in attempts by the U.N. to delegitimize Israel.
Salo Aizenberg, director of the media watchdog group HonestReporting, criticized the COI’s report for being based on a “fictional battlefield” where groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are not acknowledged. He contended that the report fails to consider the military use of hospitals and does not provide evidence of intent behind accusations of targeting children.
Conricus echoed this sentiment, stating that the report omits the presence of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, creating a misleading narrative that suggests Israel acted out of aggression without justification. He noted that the report relies on statements from medical professionals as evidence, even when such statements exceed their expertise regarding the nature of inflicted wounds.
The ongoing debate surrounding the COI’s findings highlights the deep divisions and complexities involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as both sides continue to grapple with the implications of these allegations and the broader humanitarian crisis in the region.
According to Fox News Digital, the controversy surrounding the U.N. report is likely to fuel further tensions between Israel and the international community.