• UN experts report Israel's attacks on Gaza constitute war crimes and extermination.
• Over 90% of Gaza's educational and cultural infrastructure has been significantly damaged.
• The commission urges Israel to cease attacks and comply with international law.
• The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on June 17.
• Israeli actions since October 2023 have resulted in a high number of Palestinian casualties.

An independent United Nations commission has declared that Israeli attacks on schools, religious sites, and cultural infrastructure in Gaza amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated that "Israel has obliterated Gaza's education system and destroyed over half of all religious and cultural sites in the Gaza Strip," highlighting the systematic destruction of the Palestinian cultural identity and infrastructure, according to indiatimes and thejakartapost.

Commission chair Navi Pillay lamented the continuous pattern of hostility, indicating, "We are seeing more and more indications that Israel is carrying out a concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza." The report reveals that Israeli military actions have left over 658,000 children without access to education, drastically affecting their rights and future prospects, as noted in Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye.

The commission's findings indicate significant damage to educational facilities, claiming that more than 90 percent of schools and university buildings in Gaza have been affected. Furthermore, Israeli attacks have targeted places where civilians sought refuge, raising serious concerns about the humanitarian impact on civilians and the future of Palestinian cultural practices, as reported by Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera.

In the report, the commission urged the Israeli government to halt its attacks on cultural and educational institutions, emphasizing the importance of respecting international law. The panel condemned Israel's actions in the occupied West Bank and emphasized that the ongoing violence has led to significant casualties among Palestinians, stressing that "the targeting of educational, cultural, and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come," according to indiatimes and thejakartapost.

According to official figures, over 54,927 Palestinians have died in Gaza from October 2023 onwards due to Israeli military actions, underscoring the grave human cost of the ongoing conflict. This data illustrates a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, as millions face starvation and lack of basic services amidst the conflict, as noted by Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye.