The report found that the proportion of children killed was higher than in previous conflicts. Between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, at least 20,179 children died, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the total death toll.
By comparison, in the hostilities in Gaza in 2008-2009 and 2014, children accounted for about 24 percent of conflict-related deaths, the report said.
The commission said the Israeli military continued to use high-impact ammunition and weapons with mass effect in densely populated residential areas, despite the increasing number of children killed.
“This suggests that the attacks, which killed such a large number of children, were carried out deliberately,” it said, adding that it believed children were targeted en masse because Israeli security forces overall considered the civilian population to be affiliated with Hamas and other armed groups.
A rebuttal shared by Israel’s mission in Geneva said that Israel “consistently strives to reduce harm to children even in conflict situations” and that Israel rejected suggestions that it deliberately targets children “in the strongest terms”.