UN: Israel Seeks Permanent Control of Gaza, Jewish Majority in Occupied Territories

DID Press: UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory announced in a new report that Israel has a clear and ongoing intent to maintain permanent control of the Gaza Strip and preserve a Jewish majority in the West Bank.

The Commission’s review of land and housing trends across Israel and the occupied territories identified longstanding patterns of land confiscation, population displacement, housing discrimination, and settlement expansion.

Regarding Gaza, the report found that Israeli authorities have systematically destroyed civilian infrastructure along buffer zones and routes, expanding their controlled area to cover 75% of Gaza as of July 2025. These measures, it said, have severely reduced Palestinians’ access to land and limited their ability to exercise the right to self-determination.

Navi Pillay, chair of the Commission, urged Israel to immediately end land seizures and creation of buffer zones and return confiscated property to Palestinian owners. She said Israel’s actions, justified under the pretext of security, have worsened the humanitarian situation by restricting access to vital resources such as food production.

The Commission also called on Israel to cease acts amounting to genocide in Gaza, comply with the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures and its 2024 advisory opinion, end the unlawful occupation, dismantle all settlements, and provide reparations for discriminatory land and housing policies.

The report is scheduled to be presented at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York on 28 October 2025.