Evidence speaks: Nobel laureate Navi Pillay on Gaza genocide

Navi Pillay, an 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner and former United Nations human rights chief, has defended a UN report that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

In an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz at her home in Durban, South Africa, Pillay said the report was based on evidence of mass killings, destruction of homes and damage to services needed for people to survive.

Pillay led the UN Commission of Inquiry that published the report in September 2025. The commission said around 75,000 Palestinians had been killed and that homes, hospitals, schools, farms and fishing facilities had been destroyed.

It also questioned whether the scale of destruction matched Israel’s stated aims of defeating Hamas and bringing home the hostages.

The report referred to statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and President Isaac Herzog. It said these statements, along with Israel’s actions in Gaza, showed an intention to destroy Palestinians as a group, in whole or in part. The commission recommended that the three leaders be investigated for encouraging genocide.

Pillay said genocide did not mean that an entire population had to be killed.

“It’s not a defence to genocide to say, ‘Yeah, but I didn’t kill all of them,'” she told Haaretz.

She explained that under the Genocide Convention, destroying part of a protected group can also amount to genocide. The number of people killed is important, but proving the intention behind the acts is also necessary.

Pillay questions Israel’s actions in Gaza

Pillay criticised the use of weapons that cause widespread destruction and put civilians at risk.

“When you use aerial bombing, that’s indiscriminate killing. You don’t care whether children are there, women are there,” she said.

She also questioned restrictions on medicines and attacks on civilians, ambulance workers and journalists. She raised concerns about reports of Palestinian detainees being tortured and mistreated.

The commission also examined the destruction of Gaza’s only fertility clinic, which stored up to 5,000 embryos and other material needed for fertility treatment. It said the destruction was linked to preventing births among Palestinians.

The Israeli military said it was unaware of the specific details of the strike. It denied deliberately attacking civilian facilities, including fertility clinics.

Calls for international access to Gaza

Pillay criticised Israel for not allowing the UN commission to enter Gaza to investigate. She also called for international journalists to be given access to the territory.

“They should let the international media in. Why would the government block international scrutiny? Why did they stop us from investigating?” she asked.

She rejected claims that her work was driven by hatred towards Israel or Jewish people. She said the report held specific Israeli leaders responsible and did not blame the wider Jewish community.

The commission also investigated the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. It found evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, kidnapping and sexual violence. However, it said the evidence did not prove that Hamas had the specific intention required to classify the attack as genocide.

Pillay also called on countries to act on arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). She said bringing people to justice through international courts could take time.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is hearing South Africa’s case accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in Gaza. A final decision could take several years.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 74,645 Palestinians have been killed and 175,978 injured since Israel launched its military offensive on October 7, 2023.

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