The United Nations Independent Inquiry Commission on the Occupied Palestinian Territory recently made headlines with its unprecedented finding: that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. This marks the first time a UN-affiliated body has reached such a conclusion. At the helm of this commission is Navi Pillay, an esteemed international jurist whose extensive career has prepared her for such a pivotal and challenging role.
Born in 1941 to Indian parents of Tamil heritage in apartheid-era South Africa, Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay demonstrated an early commitment to justice. After earning her BA and LLB degrees from the University of Natal, she further honed her legal expertise with a Master of Law and a doctorate from Harvard University. In 1967, she broke barriers by becoming the first woman to establish a law practice in Natal, her home province. Her initial legal work involved courageously defending anti-apartheid activists and championing prisoners’ rights. Notably, in 1973, she played a crucial role in securing fundamental rights for prisoners on Robben Island, including access to legal counsel and basic necessities.
With the dawn of South Africa’s first democratic government under Nelson Mandela in 1994, Ms. Pillay continued her groundbreaking work. In 1995, she shattered another glass ceiling, becoming the first non-White woman to be appointed Acting Judge of the High Court of South Africa. That same year, she was elected as a judge to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she served for eight impactful years, including a four-year term as president from 1999 to 2003. Her tenure at the Tribunal was marked by significant contributions to international law, particularly in developing jurisprudence concerning propaganda, freedom of speech, and the recognition of sexual violence, including rape, as a component of genocide.
Emphasizing the gravity of the term, Ms. Pillay reflected on her experience in a September 16, 2025, opinion piece for The New York Times: “The judicial panel over which I presided convicted three Rwandans of genocide. So I understand the word ‘genocide,’ and it is not one I use lightly.”
A Distinguished Career at the International Criminal Court and Beyond
Her expertise led her to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, where she served as a judge from 2003 until August 2008. Subsequently, she was appointed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a prestigious position she held for a six-year term, concluding in 2014.
Beyond her judicial roles, Ms. Pillay has a deep and active commitment to human rights. Through her prolific writings and extensive legal practice in international criminal law and human rights, she has been a fervent advocate for the rights of women, children, detainees, and survivors of torture and domestic violence. Her dedication to gender equality was evident in her work with the Women’s National Coalition in South Africa, where she successfully championed the inclusion of a clause prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation in the nation’s constitution. Furthermore, she co-founded Equality Now, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s legal rights globally.
Her enduring commitment to justice was recognized earlier this year with the 2025 Sydney Peace Prize, awarded for “a lifetime of advocating for accountability and responsibility in the face of crimes against humanity.”
Currently, Ms. Pillay chairs the three-member Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This body, established in 2021 by the UN Human Rights Council with panelists appointed by 47 member states, includes Miloon Kothari, an Indian expert in land rights and housing and former UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, and Chris Sidoti, an Australian international human rights lawyer with extensive UN experience, including as a founder of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar. All three members are set to conclude their terms later this year, having submitted resignations in July; Ms. Pillay, 83, cited her “age, medical issues, and the weight of several other commitments” as her reasons for stepping down. The Commission’s latest report, described as “the strongest and most authoritative UN finding to date,” has identified reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five acts constituting genocide, as defined by the 1948 Genocide Convention, are being perpetrated by the state of Israel against Palestinians in Gaza since the conflict began in 2023. These acts include killing group members, causing serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions aimed at physical destruction, and imposing measures to prevent births. The report attributes genocidal intent to various statements made by Israeli leaders, including President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, alongside the actions of the Israeli Defence Forces.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has led to a devastating toll, with over 64,000 people killed and thousands injured since the war commenced. This widespread destruction follows a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 individuals taken hostage. The region has subsequently endured mass displacement, extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure, and a severe famine in Gaza City.
During a press conference in Geneva announcing the report, Ms. Pillay urged the global community to act, stating: “The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity.”
In response, Israel has vehemently rejected the report, labeling it as distorted and false. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), accused the report’s authors of acting as proxies for Hamas. Israel continues to assert that its actions are driven by self-defense and fully comply with international law. The foreign ministry has called for the Commission’s abolition once its current members resign later this year.
It is important to note that the Commission’s findings do not represent an official UN legal determination. The UN maintains that such a judgment can only be rendered by a competent court. Currently, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is reviewing a genocide case against Israel, initiated by South Africa, though a final resolution is anticipated to take several years.