Gaza genocide

Gaza genocide
Part of the Gaza war
Palestinian civilians receive treatment on the floor at the overcrowded emergency ward of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, October 2023.
LocationGaza Strip
Date7 October 2023 (2023-10-07) – present[1]
(1 year, 11 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
TargetPalestinians
Attack type
Collective punishment, mass murder, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, bombardment, targeted killings, starvation, torture, urbicide, rape and sexual violence,[2][3][4] attacks on healthcare and preventing births[5][6][7]
Deaths
  • At least 59,200 reported directly killed (traumatic injury deaths)[a][b]
  • More than 10,000 estimated under rubble[15]
  • "Indirect" or non-traumatic injury deaths likely to be several times higher than those directly killed[c][18]
Injured
At least 143,000[8][19]
Victims
  • 20% of population facing "catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity" involving "an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion"[20]
  • 1,900,000+ internally displaced people[21][22]
  • Damaging or destruction of approximately 92% of homes and 50% of buildings in Gaza[23][24][25][d]
Motive
AccusedState of Israel, including the Israeli war cabinet, its government, the Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of National Security

Potential complicity includes:[36]

Litigation

The Gaza genocide is the name describing the actions of Israel in Gaza. This description is given by a United Nations Special Committee,[37][38] human rights organizations like Amnesty International,[39] Médecins Sans Frontières,[40] B'Tselem,[41] and a large group of genocide scholars and experts.[42] These organizations report that Israel is carrying out this destruction with the intent to destroy Gaza's population in whole or in part.[43]

According to these sources, acts of genocide Israel is committing include mass killing, using starvation as a weapon of war, and killing Healthcare workers and aid helpers. Also, they say that Israel destroys houses, hospitals and schools, and forcing most people out of their homes, committing sexual violence, and preventing births.[2] The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 60,000 people have been killed, and a UN-backed report states that the entire population is facing severe hunger.[44]

Israel denies it is committing genocide, stating that its actions are self-defense against Hamas after the October 7 attacks. A case on this issue is before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).[45]

Overview

Over 40,000 Palestinian Arabs have reportedly lost their lives in the alleged genocide,[46] including over 17,000 of those Israel claims to be Hamas fighters.[47] Both numbers have been criticized for being inaccurate.[48][49][50] The alleged genocide was reportedly initiated by the October 7 massacre, the biggest terror attack in Israel's history, which involved the killing of over 1,200 people, mostly Israelis (many, though not all, of whom were Jewish, including Holocaust survivors, babies, elderly, women and men) and non-Israelis visiting or working in Israel.

South Africa v. Israel

Main article: South Africa's genocide case against Israel

The government of South Africa went against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). They said that Israel went against the Genocide Convention. The ICJ then said that South Africa was able to bring its case, while Palestinians were recognised to have a right to protection from genocide.[51] The court ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to stop any genocidal acts and to allow humanitarian service into Gaza.[52][53] The court later ordered Israel to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza and to stop the Rafah offensive.[54][55]

Opinions

Many groups, including the United Nations ,[56] UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese,[57] and Human Rights Watch have said that senior Israeli officials have a goal of "intent to destroy" Gaza's population.[56][58][59] Some scholars of international law have argued that there is not enough evidence that Israel wants to commit genocide.[60] The Israeli government has denied South Africa's accusations and said that Israel is defending itself.[53][61]

Public polls

According to a survey released in June 2025, 49% of Canadians and 38% of Americans agreed that "Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip".[62][63] According to a public opinion poll by YouGov plc released in April 2024, 46% of Swedes, 43% of Belgians, 34% of French, and 33% of Germans agreed that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.[64] In a German poll from June 2025, 73% said that there was "some truth" to the claim that Israel was committing genocide.[65] According to a survey in May 2024, 71% of Spaniards thought Israel's actions were to be genocide.[66][67] In an Italian poll published in June 2025, 50% of people said Israel's military operation in Gaza "can be defined as genocide".[68] In a June 2025 British poll, 55% were against Israel's war on Gaza and 82% believed Israel was committing genocide.[69] A January 2024 poll of Israeli Jews found that 51% believed the IDF was using the right amount of force in Gaza and 43% believed it was not using enough.[70][71]

Notes

  1. ↑ Per the Gaza Health Ministry and Government Information Office,[8] which has previously been deemed reliable by prominent and independent organisations.[9][10] In the same period at least 930 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank.[11][12]
  2. ↑ A larger estimate of 64,260 exists for total direct deaths between the start of the conflict until the end of June 2024, and likely exceeding 70,000 by October 2024.[13] As of January 2025, this number would have increased to around 80,000.[14]
  3. ↑
    • Using methods described in The Lancet, Devi Sridhar, the chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in a September 2024 editorial that "the total deaths since the conflict began would be estimated at about 335,500 in total".[16]
    • In addition to direct deaths, armed conflicts result in indirect deaths "attributable to the conflict". Mortality due to indirect deaths could be due to a variety of causes, such as infectious diseases.[17]
    • Geneva Declaration Secretariat 2008, p. 4: "The ratio of people killed in war to those dying indirectly because of a conflict is explored in the chapter on indirect deaths (INDIRECT CONFLICT DEATHS). Studies show that between three and 15 times as many people die indirectly for every person who dies violently."
  4. ↑ The destruction includes:[8][26]
    • at least 436,000 homes
    • 496 educational facilities
    • 267 places of worship
    • 22 hospitals are partially functional
    • 83% of groundwater wells are not operational

References

  1. ↑ Amnesty International report 2024, p. 37.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Israel's escalating use of torture against Palestinians in custody a preventable crime against humanity: UN experts". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "The Genocidal Dimensions of Israel's Use of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) against Palestinians". Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry 2025, p. 1: "The Commission also examines the sharp increase in sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by members of the Israeli Security Forces and settlers online and in person across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. It also examines how sexual and gender-based violence has taken different forms when committed against male and female members of the Palestinian community in order to dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part."
  5. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry 2025, p. 37.
  6. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry 2025, p. 39: "175. The Commission finds that the ISF intentionally attacked and destroyed the Basma IVF clinic which was the main fertility centre in Gaza. The ISF destroyed all of the reproductive material that was stored for the future conception of Palestinians. The Commission did not find any evidence that this IVF clinic was a legitimate military target at the time that it was attacked by the ISF. The Commission concludes that the destruction of the Basma IVF clinic was a measure intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza, which is a genocidal act under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention. The Commission also concludes that this was done with the intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, in whole or in part, and that this is the only inference that could reasonably be drawn from the acts in question"
  7. ↑ "Israel's attacks on reproductive healthcare in Gaza 'genocidal': UN probe". Al Jazeera. 13 March 2025. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Reported impact snapshot – Gaza Strip (23 July 2025)". Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 23 July 2025. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Prothero 2024.
  10. ↑ Huynh, Chin & Spiegel 2023, pp. 23–24.
  11. ↑ UNRWA 2025.
  12. ↑ AJLabs 2025.
  13. ↑ Jamaluddine et al. 2025.
  14. ↑ Bloxham 2025, p. 23.
  15. ↑ United Nations in Palestine 2024.
  16. ↑ Sridhar 2024.
  17. ↑ Garry & Checchi 2020.
  18. ↑ Khatib, McKee & Yusuf 2024, p. 237.
  19. ↑ Khadder & Haq 2024.
  20. ↑ Burke 2024.
  21. ↑ "Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza". Human Rights Watch. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  22. ↑ Sathar 2023; Qutami 2023, p. 532; Semerdjian 2024, p. 4
  23. ↑ Semerdjian 2024, p. 4.
  24. ↑ Malsin & Shah 2023.
  25. ↑ "Gaza: Destruction of vital lifting gear halts search for thousands buried under rubble". UN News. United Nations. 22 April 2025. Archived from the original on 8 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ Fassin 2024, pp. 1–2; Semerdjian 2024, pp. 1, 3; Levene 2024, pp. 1–2; Litvin 2023
  28. ↑ Mackenzie & Lubell 2023: "Israel has tightened its blockade on and bombarded Gaza for three weeks after the Islamist group Hamas' Oct. 7 assault killed 1,400 Israelis ... Abbas ... said, 'Our people in the Gaza Strip are facing a war of genocide and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in full view of the entire world.'"; Antonio 2023: "Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss rejected the notion that his country is committing genocide in Gaza City, where a two-week war has erupted ... their measures were targeting Hamas members, and they were 'taking all measures to avoid having civilians affected" by attacks. 'We are informing civilians even before attacks: keep away from Hamas' infrastructure and Hamas' facilities,' ... Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians."; Chacar 2023; Smith et al. 2023; Nichols 2023; Bishara 2023
  29. ↑ Abraham 2024: '"There was a completely permissive policy regarding the casualties of [bombing] operations – so permissive that in my opinion it had an element of revenge," D., an intelligence source, claimed. ... A. also used the word "revenge" to describe the atmosphere inside the army after October 7.'
  30. ↑ Sultany 2024, pp. 2–3.
  31. ↑ Bennett 2023: "The current genocidal assaults on Palestinians in the Gaza strip have undoubtedly been enabled by decades of anti-Palestinian racism propagated by both government and military officials and by media outlets. ... This has never been clearer than over the course of the last two weeks as U.S. and Israeli political and military leaders sow fear and paranoia, and trot out the worst anti-Arab rhetoric we have seen since the period following 9/11. This racist rhetoric is intended to dehumanize the Palestinians in order to neutralize public outrage at what may amount to the worst ethnic cleansing since the 1948 Nakba and what constitutes a genocide at the hands of one of the most advanced militaries in the world, all while world powers watch and do nothing."
  32. ↑ Hughes 2024.
  33. ↑ Massad 2025.
  34. ↑ Levene 2024, p. 5.
  35. ↑
    • Segal 2023b
    • Lederman 2024, pp. 1–2, 5
    • Abdo 2024, p. 1
    • Shaw 2024, p. 1
    • Üngör 2024, pp. 3–4, 5–6
    • Albanese 2024, p. 2
    • Litvin 2023
  36. ↑
  37. ↑ "A genocide is unfolding before our eyes: History will not forgive our inaction, UN Special Committee warns General Assembly 4th Committee report". Question of Palestine. Archived from the original on 10 April 2025. Retrieved 9 April 2025. Our report leaves no room for ambiguity. A genocide is unfolding before our eyes. Failing to act now—failing to put an end to this atrocity crime— will tear apart the very foundation of the international rule of law we have collectively built to protect peace, security, and the well-being of all. Our inaction today is setting a perilous precedent for tomorrow. Think about it.
  38. ↑ "Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds". OHCHR. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  39. ↑ Amnesty International report 2024, p. 13: "This report focuses on the Israeli authorities' policies and actions in Gaza as part of the military offensive they launched in the wake of the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 while situating them within the broader context of Israel's unlawful occupation, and system of apartheid against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. It assesses allegations of violations and crimes under international law by Israel in Gaza within the framework of genocide under international law, concluding that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Israel's conduct in Gaza following 7 October 2023 amounts to genocide."
  40. ↑ Médecins Sans Frontières 2025: "Our decision to describe what’s happening in Gaza as a 'genocide' is based on nearly two years of extensive, firsthand information from our teams, who are witnessing massive levels of death and destruction by Israeli forces, a campaign of ethnic cleansing and the almost total dismantling of the health care system."
  41. ↑ B'Tselem 2025, p. 86: "The review presented in this report leaves no room for doubt: since October 2023, the Israeli regime has been responsible for carrying out genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Killing tens of thousands of people; causing bodily or mental harm to hundreds of thousands more; destroying homes and civilian infrastructure on a massive scale; starvation, displacement, and denying humanitarian aid — all this is being perpetrated systematically, as part of a coordinated attack aimed at annihilating all facets of life in the Gaza Strip."
  42. ↑
    • Burga 2023
    • Corder 2024
    • Quigley 2024b
    • Dumper & Badran 2024, p. 2: "In this context we should not overlook the latest turning point in the history of Palestine – the attack by Hamas on 7th October 2023 on Israeli settlements adjacent to Gaza and the subsequent genocidal war that the state of Israel has carried out in the Gaza Strip."
    • Speri 2024
    • Narea 2024
    • Albanese 2024, p. 1: "By analysing the patterns of violence and Israeli policies in its onslaught on Gaza, the present report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating that Israel has committed genocide has been met"
    • International Federation for Human Rights 2024: "One year ago, the FIDH International Board, its governing body elected by all its member organisations, recognised, after extensive debate and examination, that Israel was carrying out genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza"
    • Lawless 2024
    • van Laarhoven, Peek & Walters 2025
  43. ↑
  44. ↑ "Reported impact snapshot | Gaza Strip (30 July 2025)". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory. 2025-07-30. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  45. ↑ "Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (Sou". icj-cij.org. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  46. ↑ Press, Associated (2024-08-15). "Over 40K Palestinians have been killed by Israel's offensive in Gaza: Health Ministry". Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  47. ↑ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/returned-bodies-of-4-israeli-hostages-believed-to-include-mother-with-her-infant-and-toddler
  48. ↑ "Questionable Counting: Analysing the Death Toll from the Hamas-Run Ministry of Health in Gaza". Henry Jackson Society. 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  49. ↑ Burke, Jason (2025-01-20). "Slim Hamas parades show hollowness of either side's claims to victory in Gaza". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  50. ↑ "How the Gaza Ministry of Health Fakes Casualty Numbers". Tablet Magazine. 2024-03-07. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
  51. ↑ Donoghue 2024, 5:10 ("The court decided that the Palestinians had a plausible right to be protected from genocide, and that South Africa had the right to present that claim in the court."); Order, S. Afr., No. 192 (ICJ 26 January 2024), ¶ 54 ("In the Court's view, the facts and circumstances mentioned above are sufficient to conclude that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible. This is the case with respect to the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article III, and the right of South Africa to seek Israel's compliance with the latter's obligations under the Convention.").
  52. ↑ Simon & Peralta 2024.
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Casciani 2024a.
  54. ↑ Casciani 2024b.
  55. ↑ Marsi, Siddiqui & Motamedi 2024.
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 "Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people". OHCHR. 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023. Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making, UN experts said today. They illustrated evidence of increasing genocidal incitement, overt intent to "destroy the Palestinian people under occupation", loud calls for a 'second Nakba' in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and the use of powerful weaponry with inherently indiscriminate impacts, resulting in a colossal death toll and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure.
  57. ↑ Albanese 2024, pp. 13–14.
  58. ↑
  59. ↑ Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water (Report). Human Rights Watch. 19 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025. Israeli authorities' and forces' actions to deprive the population of Gaza of access to water amount to acts of genocide under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Specifically, their actions amount to deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza. Genocidal intent may also be inferred from Israeli authorities' and forces' continued actions to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of water, despite clear data and warnings from the United Nations since October and orders from the International Court of Justice calling for the provision of water since January, alongside Israeli authorities' statements, and therefore these acts may amount to the crime of genocide.
  60. ↑ Speri 2024.
  61. ↑ Deutsch, Sterling & Berg 2024.
  62. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  63. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  64. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  65. ↑ Petersen 2025.
  66. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  67. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  68. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  69. ↑ Al Jazeera 2025.
  70. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  71. ↑ "The International MA Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation" (PDF). The Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences. Tel Aviv University. January 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2024.
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