UN News Today 16 September 2025 |

Independent rights panel finds Israel has committed genocide in Gaza

A Commission of Inquiry appointed by the UN Human Rights Council finds that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, which Israeli authorities have flatly rejected.

In a new report published on Tuesday, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law “to end the genocide” and punish those responsible.

Here’s Commission chair Navi Pillay, speaking to reporters in Geneva:

“In our report the Commission found that the Israeli authorities and security forces committed and are continuing to commit the following underlying acts of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: 1) killing members of the group; 2) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; 3) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and 4), imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”

The Commission is comprised of three members who are not UN staff but are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council’s 47 Member States.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Danny Meron, dismissed the report, saying that it “promotes a narrative serving Hamas and its supporters in attempting to delegitimize and demonize the State of Israel.”

UN rights chief condemns Israeli strike on Hamas negotiators in Qatar

In more news from Geneva:

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the Israeli strike last week targeting Hamas political leaders meeting in Doha, Qatar.

Volker Türk was speaking in the Human Rights Council, which held an urgent debate on the issue on Tuesday.

He said the 9 September strike “was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world.”

In condemning it, he called on the Council and all governments to do the same:

“The attack violated the right to life under international human rights law, and the principles of international humanitarian law. Targeting parties engaged in internationally supported mediation on its territory undermines Qatar’s key role as a facilitator and peace broker. It is an attack on global efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully.”

He urged the Human Rights Council “to reaffirm the central importance of mediation processes, and to call for accountability for unlawful killings.”

Venezuelan migrants contribute $900 million to Ecuador’s economy: IOM

Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador have contributed roughly $900 million annually to the country’s economy, UN migration agency IOM said in a new study published on Tuesday.

The findings highlight the significant role of migrants in supporting economic growth and development across the Latin America and Caribbean region.

For Kristina Mejo, IOM Ecuador Chief of Mission, “the evidence is clear” because “when migrants have access to rights and opportunities, they contribute substantially to the societies that host them.” 

Ecuador is hosting approximately 441,000 of the nearly seven million Venezuelans living in Latin America and the Caribbean.

More than 70 per cent are of working age – that is between 18 to 39 years old – and have educational levels comparable to Ecuadorians. 

However, roughly two-thirds of Venezuelan migrants are employed informally despite holding professional degrees, and only 30 per cent work in their field of expertise, which restricts their full potential.

IOM said the barriers are even greater for women as nearly 70 per cent work in the informal sector and earn less than the minimum monthly wage.

Dianne Penn, UN News.