The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | HRC
Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel
At UN, war crimes probe pledges to continue to work for all impacted by Hamas-Israel conflict
As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all.
“The Board of Peace has been set up pursuant to a plan that was submitted to the Security Council that has been voted upon and accepted,” said Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel. “As a Commission of Inquiry, we see our task as investigating into violations of human rights. And that task we understand to be the mandate that the UN has given us - and we will continue with that mandate.”
The Commission of Inquiry – one of the Human Rights Council’s top investigative mechanisms - was set up by the forum’s 47 Member States in May 2021. In November last year, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2803 welcoming the establishment of the Board of Peace to redevelop Gaza.
Last September, the Commission’s then Chair, former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay, declared that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in response to Hamas-led terror attacks that killed some 1,200 people in Israel in October 2023, sparking the war. Israel strongly denied that claim.
“We need to investigate violations of human rights by all duty-bearers and in both territories,” said Mr. Muralidhar, who expressed hope that the Commission’s earlier findings “hopefully will feed into some adjudicatory system to deliver lasting justice to the people in those in these two territories”.
On the agenda this year, the Commission plans to investigate “attacks by armed Palestinian militias on others within these two territories”, he continued, before stressing the independent nature of the panel.
Responding to questions about the Board of Peace, the chief investigator said that he expected the peace plan it was pursuing “to accommodate the interests of all the people in the conflict zone”.
At a press conference in Geneva, the panel of independent human rights experts – who do not work for the UN and are not paid for their work – also condemned the reported killing of three Palestinian journalists in central Gaza in a reported Israeli airstrike on Wednesday.
“When you're killing a journalist, it means you have something to hide, because if you have nothing to hide, you are going to call the journalist so that they look at what is happening and tell the world,” said Florence Mumba, Commissioner. “Because without journalists, many people in other corners of the world wouldn't know what is happening. So, we feel concerned about that disruption of the work of the journalists and we do hope as a Commission that journalists will not be deterred.”
Commission of Inquiry on OPT including East Jerusalem and Israel
TRT: 2’33”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 22 JANUARY 2026 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Speakers:
- Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel;
- Florence Mumba, Commissioner;
- Chris Sidoti, Commissioner.
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide, UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide, UN Geneva Press room, podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission: “We need to investigate violations of human rights by all duty-bearers and in both territories. For instance, we will be looking at even the attacks by armed Palestinian militias on others within these two territories; so, we wish to emphasise that this is an independent investigating body.”
- Wide, podium speakers, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission: “The Board of Peace has been set up pursuant to a plan that was submitted to the Security Council that has been voted upon and accepted. As a Commission of Inquiry, we see our task as investigating into violations of human rights. And that task we understand to be the mandate that the UN has given us and we will continue with that mandate.”
- Medium-wide, TV screens showing podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Srinivasan Muralidhar, Chair of the Commission: “We expect the peace plan to accommodate the interests of all the people in the conflict zone. And we don't find anything there that can possibly hinder the work of this Commission and we would expect, as we always did earlier, the complete cooperation of all the authorities in both territories of Israel and Palestine.”
- Medium-wide, podium speakers, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Chris Sidoti, Commissioner: “Israel needs to think very carefully before it rejects the work that UNRWA has done, the important work that has relieved Israel of its obligations; and of course, there will be consequences for human rights because of what UNRWA has done; children have a right to education, all people have a right to the highest attainable standard [of] physical and mental health.”
- Medium-wide, podium speakers, TV screen showing speaker, photographer.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Florence Mumba, Commissioner: “When you're killing a journalist, it means you have something to hide, because if you have nothing to hide, you are going to call the journalist so that they look at what is happening and tell the world. Because without journalists, many people in other corners of the world wouldn't know what is happening. So, we feel concerned about that disruption of the work of the journalists and we do hope as a Commission that journalists will not be deterred.”
- Medium, journalist.
- Medium, photographer.
- Medium, journalist.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , IOM
Four years of war in Ukraine: Childhood has ‘moved underground’, displacement continues – UN humanitarians
Civilian suffering shows no sign of letting up in Ukraine as the four-year-mark of Russia’s full-scale invasion nears amid attacks on energy infrastructure, blackouts and freezing temperatures, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF Giga , UNICEF , IOM , UNHCR , OHCHR , UNECE , WHO
Launch of Giga Photo Award, updates on war impact in Ukraine, and global humanitarian efforts.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday voiced concerns about the severe impacts on human rights of the socio-economic crisis in Cuba.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Madagascar: ‘Overwhelming’ destruction, surging needs after back-to-back cyclones – WFP
Some 10 days after tropical cyclone Fytia brought heavy rains and flooding to Madagascar, cyclone Gezani has left the island’s main port in ruins, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNHCR , UNICEF , WFP
Rolando Gómez, Chief of the Press and External Relations Section at the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the World Health Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN rights chief urges de-escalation in Tigray amid rising tensions and violence.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , OHCHR
In Sudan, sick and starving children ‘wasting away’ – UN humanitarians
Relentless violence, famine and disease are picking off Sudan’s children while attacks on healthcare and a lack of aid access hamper efforts to help them, UN humanitarian agencies warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNOG , UNICEF , WHO , OCHA , OHCHR
UN Geneva press briefing chaired by Rolando Gómez, Chief, Press and External Relations Section, UN Information Service with speakers from UNICEF, the WHO, OCHA and OHCHR
2
1
2
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
As services expand across least developed countries, UNCTAD’s latest LDC Report questions whether they can deliver real transformation. At today’s launch, Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan highlights that services are not a shortcut to development: their impact depends on strong links to productive sectors, investment in skills and infrastructure, and supportive trade and investment policies. Without these conditions, the growth of services risks deepening exclusion rather than fostering prosperity. UNCTAD / UNTV CH
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday gave an update to the Human Rights Council on the situation in El Fasher, Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“A series of new Israeli operations and settlement plans in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, risk seriously undermining the viability of a Palestinian state and the realisation of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” the UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva today.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , UNECE , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and the World Health Organization.