A UN human rights office report released Thursday raised concerns that actions by Israeli authorities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank may amount to ethnic cleansing, citing widespread attacks, destruction, and forcible transfers of Palestinians.
Covering the period from Nov. 1, 2024, to Oct. 31, 2025, the report said: "intensified attacks, the methodical destruction of entire neighbourhoods and the denial of humanitarian assistance appeared to aim at a permanent demographic shift in Gaza."
It documented unprecedented civilian casualties, famine conditions, and the destruction of remaining infrastructure in Gaza, creating "conditions of life increasingly incompatible" with Palestinians' continued existence there. At least 463 Palestinians, including 157 children, reportedly died from starvation, which the report attributed to restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The findings also raised concerns that Israeli forces may have intentionally targeted civilians or launched attacks with disproportionate harm, which could constitute war crimes.
In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the report cited "systematic" unlawful use of force, arbitrary detention, torture, and widespread demolition of Palestinian homes, describing policies that "systematically discriminate, oppress, control and dominate" Palestinians.
The report also documented the death of 79 Palestinians in Israeli detention during the reporting period and highlights that Palestinians detained from Gaza remained particularly vulnerable to torture and other ill-treatment.
It added that Hamas and other armed groups continued to hold Israeli and foreign hostages captured on Oct. 7, 2023, during the reporting period, with testimonies describing torture and abuse.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned of a "pervasive climate of impunity" and urged states to halt arms transfers that could facilitate violations, stressing that accountability is essential for lasting peace.
"Justice for victims must lay the foundation for the reconstruction of Gaza," the report said, calling on states to ensure Palestinians' immediate participation in governance structures to determine and shape the reconstruction of Gaza.
Turk stressed that "impunity kills" and accountability is "indispensable." He added: "It is the prerequisite for a just and durable peace in Palestine and Israel."
A US-backed ceasefire agreement has been in place in Gaza since Oct. 10, halting Israel's two-year war that has killed more than 72,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 171,000 others since October 2023.
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have committed hundreds of violations through shelling and gunfire, killing 603 Palestinians and injuring 1,618 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Israel has also escalated its assaults in the West Bank since the Gaza war, killing at least 1,112 Palestinians and wounding about 11,500 others during the same period.
