Who is S Muralidhar, former Indian judge behind the UN's explosive Gaza children report?
Retired Indian judge Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar is at the centre of a landmark UN inquiry accusing Israel of systematically targeting Palestinian children in Gaza. Who is the former Delhi High Court judge, and why has his report resulted in reactions across the globe?
Retired Indian judge Srinivasan Muralidhar serves as the Chairperson of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
Last month, Justice Muralidhar spearheaded the release of a landmark, 100-page UN independent commission report documenting catastrophic, systematic violations against children in the region, bringing his judicial record into the sharpest global focus to date.
What did the latest UN Gaza report find?
On June 23, the independent UN panel led by Muralidhar released a comprehensive report titled: "The essence of childhood has been destroyed": Israel's deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023.
Presenting the findings at a press conference in Geneva, Muralidhar stated that the commission uncovered "indisputable evidence" of war crimes and atrocity crimes.
More from ExplainersThe core elements of the report include:
- Staggering child casualties: The inquiry documented that between October 7, 2023, and October 7, 2025, at least 20,179 Palestinian children were killed and 44,143 were injured in Gaza — representing roughly 30 per cent of all conflict deaths during that window.
- Methods of targeting: Muralidhar detailed that children were primarily killed in two ways: via massive airstrikes using high-yield explosives in densely populated civilian areas, and through advanced precision weapons — specifically quadcopters, drones, and sniper rifles — with single-shot injuries targeted carefully at the head and upper body.
- Infrastructure collapse: The report highlights a systematic dismantling of facilities vital to children, noting that 97 per cent of all schools in Gaza have been completely destroyed, alongside orphanages, maternal care centres, and neonatal units.
- Post-ceasefire violations: Muralidhar noted with grave concern that despite the October 2025 ceasefire, the deliberate targeting and killing of children by security forces has actively persisted.
- Other armed groups: The panel also documented severe violations by Palestinian armed groups, detailing specific instances where Hamas forces killed children, including five Israeli teenagers seeking shelter at Zikim Beach during the initial October 2023 incursions.
"The protection, care and survival of Palestinian children are inseparable from the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. By targeting children, Israel is eroding the foundational structure of Palestinian society, weakening its demographic vitality," stated Muralidhar during the UN briefing.
He added that by targeting children, Israel was undermining the capacity of the Palestinian people to exist and to determine their future.
Who is Srinivasan Muralidhar?
Justice Srinivasan Muralidhar is a highly distinguished Indian jurist who built a formidable domestic reputation over several decades for his legal scholarship, fierce independence, and dedication to human rights law.
Before being elevated to the bench, Muralidhar practiced as an advocate before the Supreme Court of India for nearly twenty years.
During this period, he acted as counsel for the National Human Rights Commission of India and served as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) in several historic public interest cases, including legal proceedings tied to the victims of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
He was awarded a PhD in law by the University of Delhi in 2002.
Appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court in May 2006, he became widely recognised for defending civil liberties.
He gained national prominence during the 2020 Delhi riots when he conducted an emergency midnight hearing at his personal residence, strictly ordering law enforcement to provide safe passage for ambulances to rescue dozens of critically injured victims trapped in violence-affected neighbourhoods.
He also briefly served as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
In January 2021, he was elevated to Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, a position he held with distinction until his official retirement from the Indian judiciary in August 2023.
Lauded by India's legal community as a "judge of conscience," Muralidhar’s unyielding stance on human rights often put him at odds with political frameworks at home.
Last year, his international reputation for neutrality and strict adherence to international legal norms led to his selection by the United Nations to chair the three-member independent commission.
He commands the panel alongside commissioners Chris Sidoti of Australia and Florence Mumba of Zambia.
What was the reaction to the UN Gaza report?
The publication of the June 2026 report has ignited a sharp diplomatic divide:
The Israeli Foreign Ministry completely rejected the report, labelling it a "libelous sham" and an unverified "propaganda piece."
Israeli officials stated that the UN Commission of Inquiry is a fundamentally flawed mechanism designed solely to vilify Israel, arguing that the report deliberately erases Israeli children who were killed or taken hostage by Hamas, while ignoring Hamas's use of civilian infrastructure.
Conversely, international human rights organisations and legal bodies view Muralidhar’s report as a vital evidentiary baseline for international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The findings build sequentially upon the panel's September 2025 brief, which formally concluded that the broader Israeli military campaign met the legal definition of genocide.
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