“The UN’s investigation report on Israel’s genocidal acts against the Palestinian people confirms what has happened on the ground: genocide and violations of all humanitarian and legal standards,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP.

“The atrocities committed by the occupation (Israel) are too horrific to be fully captured in this report, underscoring the urgent need to expedite the prosecution of its leaders for these crimes and ensure their swift trial at the International Criminal Court.”

Earlier today, the UN commission of inquiry said Israel’s military had “intentionally attacked and destroyed” Gaza’s main fertility centre, and had simultaneously imposed a siege and blocked aid including medication for ensuring safe pregnancies, deliveries and neonatal care.

The commission found that Israeli authorities “have destroyed in part the reproductive capacity of Palestinians in Gaza as a group through the systematic destruction of sexual and reproductive healthcare”, it said in a statement.

It said this amounted to “two categories of genocidal acts” during Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched after the attacks by Hamas rebels on Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

The three-person Independent International Commission of Inquiry was established by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 to investigate alleged international law violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the report, saying it contained “false and absurd claims”.