A/HRC/40/74 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 6 March 2019 Original: English Human Rights Council Fortieth session 25 February–22 March 2019 Agenda item 7 Human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories Report of the independent international commission of inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory* Summary In the present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution S28/1, the independent international commission of inquiry investigates the demonstrations held in Gaza between 30 March and 31 December 2018, the response of Israeli security forces to the demonstrations and the impact on civilians in Gaza and Israel. The commission was mandated to focus on accountability and identifying those responsible for violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The commission found reasonable grounds to believe that some violations may constitute international crimes. * The present report was submitted after the deadline in order to reflect the most recent developments. GE.19-03660(E) 