Damning report: On Justice Muralidhar’s report on Israeli atrocities

Briefing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last week on the International Commission of Inquiry’s latest report on the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories, its chairperson, retired Indian judge Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar, did not couch his words in ambiguity. He said that the unequivocal conclusion was that Israeli security forces continued to commit “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide” a year after the October 2025 ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. The Commission’s third such submission since October 7, 2023, the report focuses on the “killings and bodily and mental harm by state actors”, predominantly Israeli security forces. It draws on medical records, satellite imagery, forensic analysis, witness testimony and videos posted by Israeli soldiers. Despite Israeli denials, the report finds that soldiers targeted Palestinian civilians, including infants, by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify and execute their targets with impunity; the report quotes top Israel officials claiming the killings. Justice Muralidhar said that more than 75,000 Palestinians including 21,500 children and 11,000 women have been killed across Palestinian territories since 2023, and yet “little or no action” is being taken by member-states, including Israel itself. The report calls on UN members to “employ all means” to prevent the genocide, investigate and prosecute suspects for it, and establish clear rules for AI use in conflicts. The Committee had previously called on UN members to halt military transfers to Israel, and pass sanctions against those linked to child abuses, as well as to cooperate with the International Criminal Court to enforce arrest warrants against Israeli officials and soldiers.

The committee’s findings have shocked many around the world but have not thus far effected much action. The UNGA lacks the power to implement any resolution aimed at preventing Israel’s actions, and the UN Security Council lacks the consensus to do so, given the U.S.’s support of Israel. So, it should come as no surprise that Justice Muralidhar could not even present the report to the UNGA in person, as the U.S. withheld grant of a visa. New Delhi, while upholding Palestinian rights and providing humanitarian aid, has avoided any recommendation that could harm relations with Israel. India has abstained from UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire or action against Israel, while continuing to supply it with arms, ammunition, ordnance and drone parts. The Ministry of External Affairs has neither directly criticised Israel’s actions nor commented on the disturbing findings of reports by the UN commission chaired by Justice Muralidhar and his predecessor, 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navanethem Pillay. The government’s silence is in conflict with its stated principles and could place it on the wrong side of history.

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