UN inquiry member says some genocide claims against Israel unverified as Gaza reports population growth
A member of the UN Commission of Inquiry, Chris Sidoti, said the commission had not independently verified how many Palestinians killed in Gaza were civilians or militants. The article reports this alongside Palestinian health ministry figures showing more registered live births than deaths in Gaza in 2025, which critics cite as evidence against claims of genocide.
The commission’s September 2025 report concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and cited a Guardian estimate that 83% of those killed were civilians. The ministry recorded 24,650 deaths in 2025, including 17,286 attributed to direct targeting, and 50,227 live births. Experts quoted in the article said the figures indicate population growth, while one noted that migration makes the overall growth rate difficult to establish.
- UN inquiry member says civilian and militant death figures were not independently verified.
- Gaza recorded 50,227 live births and 24,650 deaths in 2025.
- Experts cited the figures in disputing genocide allegations.
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The Gaza Strip is a small, densely populated Palestinian territory governed by Hamas, which has fought repeated wars with Israel. The latest war began after Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza; civilians have been killed and many people displaced.
A UN Commission of Inquiry investigates alleged violations of international law, while Gaza’s health ministry records deaths and births. The commission’s 2025 report concluded that Israel had committed genocide, a serious legal finding that Israel rejects; establishing such a crime requires evidence about both acts and intent.
Counts of deaths, whether those killed were civilians or fighters, and changes in population are separate questions. Births and deaths affect population totals, but migration also matters, and population figures alone do not determine whether genocide occurred.
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The case for
Those who argue Israel’s actions amount to genocide point to the scale of deaths and destruction, the commission’s findings, and its cited estimate that most people killed were civilians. They may also argue that a higher number of births than registered deaths in one year does not settle whether a protected group faced acts intended to destroy it, particularly when migration and other demographic factors complicate population comparisons.
The case against
Those who dispute the genocide finding argue that the commission did not independently verify how many people killed were civilians or militants, making a key measure of the harm uncertain. They also cite the ministry’s reported excess of births over deaths in 2025 and expert comments suggesting population growth as relevant evidence against claims of group destruction, while recognising that these figures alone do not establish the overall growth rate.