Palestinian civilians are caught between the actions of Israeli forces, violent settlers and the rule of Hamas, according to a new report released by a United Nations-mandated inquiry.
The United Nations Human Rights Council investigative commission said civilians across Gaza and the occupied West Bank are being “systematically and deliberately” subjected to severe human rights violations.
The report, issued Tuesday by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry, stated that Palestinians in Gaza are living under both the impact of Israeli military operations and what it described as the oppressive control of Hamas authorities.
UN report highlights suffering in Gaza, West bank
According to the inquiry, ordinary Palestinians in Gaza are “trapped between the structural violence and mass atrocities of Israeli forces and the predatory, fear-based rule of Hamas.”
The commission also raised concerns over increasing violence in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian civilians have reportedly faced growing attacks by Israeli settlers since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the ongoing Gaza war.
Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar said settler violence was linked to Israeli government policies.
“Violence by settlers is the direct outcome of Israeli policies that support, enable and protect their actions,” Mr Muralidhar stated.
He added that Hamas-affiliated groups had exploited the instability created by ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza.
“Deliberate infliction of suffering”
The commission said both Israeli actions and Hamas governance have contributed to suffering among Palestinian civilians, although it noted that the origins and motivations differ.
“What is alarmingly similar is the deliberate infliction of suffering on Palestinian civilians,” Mr Muralidhar said.
The three-member commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 to investigate alleged rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
The latest report focused heavily on the occupied West Bank, where violence has intensified in recent years.
According to figures cited in the report, at least 1,080 Palestinians have reportedly been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since October 2023, while at least 46 Israelis have died in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations during the same period.
The inquiry also documented at least 26 Palestinians killed and over 1,500 injured by settlers between January 2023 and December 2025.
Israel urged to end settlement activities
The commission accused Israel of enabling settler violence and described settlement expansion as part of broader efforts to annex Palestinian territory and displace residents.
The report called on Israel to immediately halt settlement activities, end what it described as unlawful occupation practices, and remove settlers from occupied territories.
Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations from the commission and previously accused the inquiry of anti-Israel bias.
Hamas accused of torture, executions
The inquiry also accused Hamas-affiliated forces of committing serious human rights abuses in Gaza, including alleged torture, executions and violent punishment of civilians.
Investigators documented hundreds of cases of violence between 2024 and 2025, including incidents that reportedly resulted in deaths and injuries.
The commission alleged that Hamas members tortured civilians at the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza, though it stressed that hospitals remain protected under international humanitarian law.
The report recommended that Hamas authorities immediately stop extrajudicial punishments, torture and violence against civilians, and refrain from using civilian infrastructure for military-related purposes.
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