A United Nations Human Rights Council-commissioned panel of independent experts announced that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel denounced as "distorted and false." Inside Gaza City, Palestinian residents described some of the heaviest bombardment of the war. The IDF said it believes 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas fighters remain in Gaza City and reiterated accusations that the group embeds military infrastructure in civilian areas. Israel estimated about 350,000 people have left Gaza City since evacuation warnings, while a U.N. update the previous day put departures from northern Gaza at more than 220,000 over the past month. Families of hostages protested overnight outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem, urging a halt to the Gaza City push until a deal is reached.