A United Nations probe has found that Israel committed “genocidal” practices in Gaza by systematically demolishing sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities. The UN Commission of Inquiry described how Israel targeted and destroyed Gaza’s principal fertility center with deliberate intent and also placed a blockade that closed off vital medical services for safe pregnancies, births, and neonatal care.
Systematic Destruction of Reproductive Health Services
The commission established that Israeli officials “destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza as a group” by targeting sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities. It concluded that these acts fell under “two categories of genocidal acts” under the UN Genocide Convention:
Intentional conditions to cause physical destruction
Measures aimed to prevent births in the group. “These abuses not only inflicted serious immediate physical and mental injury and suffering upon women and girls but also resulted in long-term, irreversible effects upon the mental health and reproductive and fertility potential of Palestinians as a group,” declared Navi Pillay, the commission chairperson and former UN rights chief.
IVF Clinic Targeted in Alleged Genocidal Act
The report highlighted the destruction of the Al-Basma IVF Centre, Gaza’s main fertility clinic, in December 2023. The attack was reported to have destroyed approximately 4,000 embryos and interrupted services for 2,000–3,000 patients per month.
The commission established no substantive evidence that the plant was utilized for purposes of warfare. Rather, it concluded that the attack was a calculated act “aimed at preventing births among Palestinians in Gaza,” an action that constitutes genocide under international law.
‘Extermination’ and Crimes Against Humanity
The report also discovered that Israel’s military activities have had a devastating effect on pregnant, lactating, and new mothers in Gaza on an “unprecedented scale.” These conditions, along with limited access to healthcare, have resulted in maternal mortality as a result of childbirth complications. The commission deemed these acts as “crimes against humanity” and an attempt to annihilate Palestinians as a group.
Also, the inquiry recorded instances of public forced stripping, sexual harassment, rape threats, and sexual assault, wherein the actions were described as the “standard operating procedures” of the Israeli Security Forces against Palestinians.
Israel Rejects Allegations
Israel has categorically rejected the allegations, terming the commission’s report “unfounded” and a “political agenda biased” aimed at “incriminating the Israel Defense Forces.
The UN Commission of Inquiry was set up in May 2021 to probe alleged breaches of international law in Israel and the Palestinian territory. The new revelations contribute to mounting international pressure against Israel’s military activities in Gaza.
