{{Short description|Ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip}}
{{About|the ongoing genocide by Israel in Gaza since 2023|broader accusations of genocide against Palestinians by Israel|Palestinian genocide accusation|allegations of genocidal violence during the October 7 attacks|Allegations of genocide in the October 7 attacks}}
{{Protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Gaza genocide
| image = {{#invoke:Multiple image|
| border = infobox
| perrow = 1/2/2
| total_width = 300
| image1 = Images of war 23-25 from Gaza, by Jaber Badwen, IMG 6185.jpg
| image2 = Damage in Gaza Strip during the October 2023 - 36.jpg
| image3 =Palestinian Red Crescent Personnel inspect a destroyed ambulance in Deir el-Balah , Gaza Strip.jpg
| image4 = A mosque destroyed in the Jabalia area of the Gaza Strip (cropped).jpg
| image5 = Displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah line up to receive food provided by charitable organizations (cropped).jpg
}} {{hidden|title=Photographs of the Gaza genocide|content={{ubil|'''Top''': Destruction in northern Gaza, February 2025|'''Middle left''': Gazans receiving treatment on the floor at the overcrowded emergency ward of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, October 2023|'''Middle right''':A destroyed ambulance of the Palestinian Red Crescent, January 2024|'''Bottom left''': A destroyed mosque, February 2025|'''Bottom right''': Children collecting food aid, August 2024}}}}
| time =
| partof = the [[Gaza war]], the [[Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip]], and the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
| perpetrator = [[Israel]]
| duration =
| date = On or after {{Start date|2023|10|07|df=y}} – present{{#tag:ref|This start date is the beginning of the war. Sources disagree on when the genocide started, see [[#Background|Background]].|name=genocidedate|group=lower-alpha}}{{sfn|Amnesty International report|2024|p=37}}
| location = [[Gaza Strip]]
| target = [[Palestinians]]
| litigation = {{#invoke:list|unbulleted|
* ''[[South Africa v. Israel]]''
* ''[[Nicaragua v. Germany]]''
}}
| type = [[Palestinian genocide accusation|Genocide]], [[massacre]]s, [[Nakba|ethnic cleansing]], [[Gaza Strip evacuations|forced displacement]], [[Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip|bombardment]], [[Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)|blockade]], [[Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war|war crime]]s, [[Targeted killing by Israel|targeted killing]]s, [[Gaza Strip famine|starvation]], [[Torture during the Gaza war|torture]], [[Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Gaza war|rape and sexual violence]], [[Attacks on health facilities during the Gaza war|attacks on healthcare]], [[#Attacks on healthcare and preventing births|birth prevention]],{{sfn|Independent International Commission of Inquiry|2025|pp=1, 37, 39}}[{{cite web |date=5 August 2024 |title=Israel's escalating use of torture against Palestinians in custody a preventable crime against humanity: UN experts |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/08/israels-escalating-use-torture-against-palestinians-custody-preventable |access-date=17 December 2024 |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |language=en |archive-date=8 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208181335/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/08/israels-escalating-use-torture-against-palestinians-custody-preventable |url-status=live}}] [[Ecocide#Gaza war|ecocide]],[{{cite web |date=14 January 2026 |title=Reported impact snapshot – Gaza Strip (14 January 2026) |url=https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-14-january-2026 |work=[[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] |access-date=15 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260115091812/https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-14-january-2026 |archive-date=15 January 2026 |url-status=live}}] which has been deemed reliable by independent organisations.{{sfn|Gómez-Ugarte|Chen|Acosta|Basellini|2025|p=2}}{{sfn|Maad|2024}}{{sfn|Prothero|2024}}[{{cite news |last=Debre |first=Isabel |date=6 November 2023 |title=What is Gaza's Ministry of Health and how does it calculate the war's death toll? |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033 |work=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251007112947/https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-ministry-health-death-toll-59470820308b31f1faf73c703400b033 |archive-date=7 October 2025}}] The Ministry's public totals are aggregate and include both civilians and combatants.[{{Cite news |last=Hofmann |first=Sarah Judith |date=3 July 2025 |title=Gaza: What is the actual death toll, and how can we be sure? |url=https://www.dw.com/en/gaza-what-is-the-actual-death-toll-and-how-can-we-be-sure/a-73136975 |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |access-date=13 December 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250710141536/https://www.dw.com/en/gaza-what-is-the-actual-death-toll-and-how-can-we-be-sure/a-73136975 |archive-date=10 July 2025}}]|name="GHM"|group=lower-alpha}}
*463 famine deaths (confirmed, November 2025)[{{cite web |title=Key statistics – November 13, 2025 |url=https://gazahcsector.palestine-studies.org/en/key_statistics |website=Documenting the Targeting and Destruction of the Health Sector in the Gaza Strip |publisher=[[Institute for Palestine Studies]] |date=13 November 2025 |access-date=8 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251219034437/https://gazahcsector.palestine-studies.org/en/key_statistics |archive-date=19 December 2025}}][{{cite web |title=Gaza Health Ministry: 151 Martyrs in the Last 24 Hours |url=https://www.sadanews.ps/en/news/239319.html |website=Sada News Agency |date=11 October 2025 |access-date=8 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251209180709/https://www.sadanews.ps/en/news/239319.html |archive-date=9 December 2025}}]
*{{circa|10,000+}} famine deaths (estimated)[{{Cite web |last=de Waal |first=Alex |author-link=Alex de Waal |date=28 August 2025 |title=How Many People Have Died of Famine in Gaza? (Updated) |url=https://worldpeacefoundation.org/blog/how-many-people-have-died-of-famine-in-gaza-updated/ |website=[[World Peace Foundation]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251123170901/https://worldpeacefoundation.org/blog/how-many-people-have-died-of-famine-in-gaza-updated/ |archive-date=23 November 2025}}]
| injuries = At least 171,300[{{cite web |date=27 November 2025 |title=Israel's genocide against Palestinians 'not over' despite ceasefire - new Amnesty briefing |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israels-genocide-against-palestinians-not-over-despite-ceasefire-new-amnesty |access-date=4 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251128172416/https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/israels-genocide-against-palestinians-not-over-despite-ceasefire-new-amnesty |archive-date=28 November 2025 |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |url-status=live}}][{{cite news |date=28 November 2025 |last1=Segal |first1=Raz |author1-link=Raz Segal |title=The genocide in Gaza is far from over |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/28/the-genocide-in-gaza-is-far-from-over |access-date=4 January 2026 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251128115413/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/28/the-genocide-in-gaza-is-far-from-over |archive-date=28 November 2025 |url-status=live |ref=none}}] [[Intent and incitement in the Gaza genocide|intentional]], and systematic destruction of the [[Palestinians|Palestinian people]] in the [[Gaza Strip]] carried out by [[Israel]] during the [[Gaza war]]. It encompasses [[Mass killing|mass killings]], deliberate [[Gaza Strip famine|starvation]], infliction of serious bodily and mental harm, and [[Attacks on health facilities during the Gaza war#Attacks in the Gaza Strip|prevention of births]]. Other acts include [[Blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockading]], [[Attacks on protected zones and civilians in Gaza|destroying civilian infrastructure]], destroying [[Attacks on health facilities during the Gaza war|healthcare facilities]], killing [[Killing of health workers in the Gaza war|healthcare workers]] and [[2025 Gaza Strip aid distribution killings|aid-seekers]], causing mass [[Gaza Strip evacuations|forced displacement]], committing [[Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Gaza war|sexual violence]], and destroying [[Attacks on schools during the Gaza war|educational]], [[Attacks on religious sites during the Israeli invasion of Gaza|religious]], and [[Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip|cultural sites]].[{{Cite web |date=16 September 2025 |title=Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, UN Commission finds |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds |access-date=21 September 2025 |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250925113927/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds |archive-date=25 September 2025}}] The genocide has been recognised by [[Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People|a United Nations special committee]][{{cite speech |last=Pieris |first=Mohan |author-link=Mohan Peiris |date=19 November 2024 |title=A genocide is unfolding before our eyes: History will not forgive our inaction, UN Special Committee warns General Assembly 4th Committee report |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/11/genocide-unfolding-our-eyes-history-will-not-forgive-our-inaction |access-date=9 April 2025 |publisher=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |language=en-US |quote=Our findings conclude that Israel’s methods of war align with the characteristics of genocide ... 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. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250414205459/https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/11/genocide-unfolding-our-eyes-history-will-not-forgive-our-inaction |archive-date=14 April 2025 |url-status=live}}] and [[2025 UNHRC Commission of Inquiry report on Gaza genocide|commission of inquiry]],[{{cite news |last=van den Berg |first=Stephanie |date=1 September 2025 |title=Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, scholars' association says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-is-committing-genocide-gaza-scholars-association-says-2025-09-01/ |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250917195128/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-is-committing-genocide-gaza-scholars-association-says-2025-09-01/ |archive-date=17 September 2025}}][{{cite web |date=31 August 2025 |title=IAGS Resolution on the Situation in Gaza |url=https://genocidescholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IAGS-Resolution-on-Gaza-FINAL.pdf |access-date=1 September 2025 |website=[[International Association of Genocide Scholars]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902042359/https://genocidescholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IAGS-Resolution-on-Gaza-FINAL.pdf |archive-date=2 September 2025}}] [[List of humanitarian and human rights groups accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza|multiple human rights groups]],{{#tag:ref| [[Amnesty International]],[{{harvnb|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."] [[Médecins Sans Frontières]],[{{harvnb|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."] [[B'Tselem]],[{{harvnb|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."] [[Physicians for Human Rights–Israel]],[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Sultany|2024|p=4}} : "Although legal scholars and commentators were slow to recognize the severity and urgency of the situation, this article sought to show that there is an emerging consensus that Israel's actions in Gaza are not another instance of armed conflict but instead amount to genocide"
| {{harvnb|Swart|2025|p=3}}: "South Africa's actions led to an ever-growing consensus in international legal circles that Israel is committing genocide"
| {{harvnb|Lederman|2025|p=1}}: "Roughly since mid-2024, there seems to have emerged a broad agreement among genocide scholars—at least those who have expressed their views on the matter—that this is indeed the case ... What followed seems to be a similar broad agreement emerging among legal scholars that this is indeed a genocide, and even those who are still hesitating find the genocide charges much more convincing."
| {{harvnb|Shaw|2025b|p=3}}: "By the end of 2024, when Amnesty International published a comprehensively evidenced and legally argued case,17 the consensus that Israel was committing genocide was becoming overwhelming"
| {{harvnb|Gessen|2024}}: "Trachtenberg testified to a consensus opinion among historians of genocide that what is happening in Gaza can indeed be called a genocide, largely because the intent to cause death on a massive scale has been so clear in the statements of Israeli officials"
| {{harvnb|Bouranova|2024}}: "The opposition is political, as there is consensus amongst the international human rights legal community, many other legal and political experts, including many Holocaust scholars, that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza."
}}][{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Mohyeldin|Hamdan|2024}}
| {{harvnb|De Vogli|Montomoli|Abu-Sittah|Pappé|2025|pp=688–689}}
| {{harvnb|van Laarhoven|Peek|Walters|2025}}
| {{harvnb|Tharoor|2025}}
| {{cite web |date=14 July 2025 |title=Genocide Emergency: Gaza 11 July 2025 |url=https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/genocide-emergency-gaza-11-july-2025 |access-date=8 September 2025 |website=[[Genocide Watch]] |language=en |quote=Israel has engaged in all of the processes of genocide described in Genocide Watch's powerful model of the genocidal process, the Ten Stages of genocide: classification, symbolization, discrimination, dehumanization, organization, polarization, preparation, persecution, extermination, and denial. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250831192255/https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/genocide-emergency-gaza-11-july-2025 |archive-date=31 August 2025}}
| {{cite web |date=29 December 2023 |title=Statement on Why We Call the Israeli Attack on Gaza Genocide |url=https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-why-we-call-the-israeli-attack-on-gaza-genocide |access-date=8 September 2025 |website=[[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250820155439/https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-why-we-call-the-israeli-attack-on-gaza-genocide |archive-date=20 August 2025}}
}}] and other experts.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Albanese|2024a|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"
| {{harvnb|Burga|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Corder|2024}}
| {{harvnb|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."
| {{harvnb|Gritten|2025}}
| {{harvnb|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"
| {{cite web |date=31 October 2024 |title='It Is Important to Call a Genocide a Genocide,' Consider Suspending Israel's Credential as UN Member State, Experts Tell Palestinian Rights Committee |url=https://press.un.org/en/2024/gapal1473.doc.htm |website=UN News |publisher=[[United Nations]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241105122046/https://press.un.org/en/2024/gapal1473.doc.htm |archive-date=5 November 2024}}
| {{harvnb|Lawless|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Narea|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Quigley|2024b}}
| {{cite web |date=26 March 2024 |title=Rights expert finds 'reasonable grounds' genocide is being committed in Gaza |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147976 |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=UN News |publisher=[[United Nations]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328063126/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/03/1147976 |archive-date=28 March 2025|url-status=live}}
| {{harvnb|Speri|2024}}
| {{cite web |date=14 November 2024 |title=UN Special Committee finds Israel's warfare methods in Gaza consistent with genocide, including use of starvation as weapon of war |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/un-special-committee-finds-israels-warfare-methods-gaza-consistent-genocide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250508073603/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/11/un-special-committee-finds-israels-warfare-methods-gaza-consistent-genocide |archive-date=8 May 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025 |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |language=en |url-status=live}}
}}]
By December 2025, the [[Gaza Health Ministry]] had reported that at least 70,117 people in Gaza [[Casualties of the Gaza war|had been killed]].[{{cite web |date=3 December 2025 |title=Reported impact snapshot – Gaza Strip (3 December 2025) |url=https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-3-december-2025 |work=[[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251204205622/https://www.ochaopt.org/content/reported-impact-snapshot-gaza-strip-3-december-2025 |archive-date=4 December 2025}}] The vast majority of the victims were civilians,{{sfn|Schwarz|2024}}{{sfn|Tantesh|Graham-Harrison|2024}} and around 50% were women and children.[{{cite web |last=Spagat |first=Mike |date=28 May 2024 |title=Gaza Ministry of Health releases detailed new casualty data amidst confusion of UN's death numbers in Gaza |url=https://aoav.org.uk/2024/gaza-ministry-of-health-releases-detailed-new-casualty-amidst-confusion-of-uns-death-numbers-in-gaza/ |access-date=10 July 2024 |website=[[Action On Armed Violence]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710190121/https://aoav.org.uk/2024/gaza-ministry-of-health-releases-detailed-new-casualty-amidst-confusion-of-uns-death-numbers-in-gaza/ |archive-date=10 July 2024}}]{{sfn|Graham-Harrison|2024a}} Compared to other recent global conflicts, the numbers of known [[Killing of journalists in the Gaza war|deaths of journalists]], humanitarian and [[Killing of health workers in the Gaza war|health workers]], and [[Effect of the Gaza war on children in the Gaza Strip|children]] are among the highest.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Amnesty International report|2024|p=16}}
| {{harvnb|Buschek|Christoph|Kalisch|Kollig|2024}}
| {{cite web |date=10 October 2024 |title=Gaza: At Least 3,100 Children Aged Under Five Killed With Others at Risk as Famine Looms |url=https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-least-3100-children-aged-under-five-killed-others-risk-famine-looms |website=[[Save the Children]] |access-date=21 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104093600/https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-least-3100-children-aged-under-five-killed-others-risk-famine-looms |archive-date=4 November 2024}}
| {{harvnb|Salzenstein|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Fayyad|2024}}
}}] Thousands more uncounted bodies are thought to be under the rubble of destroyed buildings.{{sfn|Tantesh|Graham-Harrison|2024}}{{sfn|Massoud|Fick|2023}} A study in the medical journal ''The Lancet'' estimated that traumatic injury deaths were undercounted by June 2024, while noting an even larger potential death toll when "indirect" deaths are included.[{{harvnb|Jamaluddine|Abukmail|Aly|Campbell|2025}}: "We estimated 64,260 deaths (95% CI 55 298–78 525) due to traumatic injury during the study period, suggesting the Palestinian MoH under-reported mortality by 41%. ... Our findings underestimate the full impact of the military operation in Gaza, as they do not account for non-trauma-related deaths resulting from health service disruption, food insecurity, and inadequate water and sanitation."] The number of injured is greater than 171,000.[{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Jason |date=27 August 2025 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/27/children-make-up-third-of-outpatients-in-msf-hospitals-in-gaza-statistics-show |work=[[The Guardian]] |title=A third of outpatients treated for wounds at MSF's Gaza hospitals in 2024 were children, figures show |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250915182357/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/27/children-make-up-third-of-outpatients-in-msf-hospitals-in-gaza-statistics-show |archive-date=15 September 2025}}]{{sfn|Gómez-Ugarte|Chen|Acosta|Basellini|2025|p=13}} Gaza has the most child [[Amputation|amputees]] per capita in the world;[{{cite news |date=3 September 2025 |title=Middle East crisis: at least 21,000 children disabled in Gaza during war, says UN committee – as it happened |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/sep/03/gaza-graveyard-international-humanitarian-law-unrwa-israel-middle-east-crisis-latest-updates-news |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=7 September 2025 |archive-url= |archive-date=}}]
An [[Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)|Israeli blockade]] heavily contributed to [[Gaza Strip famine|starvation and confirmed famine]]. As of August 2025, projections show about 641,000 people experiencing [[Integrated Food Security Phase Classification|catastrophic levels]] and that "the number of people facing emergency levels will likely increase to 1.14 million".{{sfn|IPC Report August|2025|p=1}}[{{cite news |date=23 August 2025 |first=Mary |last=Kekatos |title=Famine determined in parts of Gaza, 500,000 experiencing 'catastrophic' hunger: Report |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/famine-determined-parts-gaza-500000-experiencing-catastrophic-hunger/story?id=124843218 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=1 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218051839/https://abcnews.go.com/International/famine-determined-parts-gaza-500000-experiencing-catastrophic-hunger/story?id=124843218 |archive-date=18 December 2025}}] Early in the conflict, Israel cut off Gaza's water and electricity, but it later partially restored the water.[{{cite web |first=Barak |last=Ravid |title=Israel resumes water supply to southern Gaza after U.S. pressure |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/10/15/israel-resumes-water-supply-to-southern-gaza-after-us-pressure |website=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |access-date=18 September 2025 |date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250915020309/https://www.axios.com/2023/10/15/israel-resumes-water-supply-to-southern-gaza-after-us-pressure |archive-date=15 September 2025}}] As of May 2024, 84% of Gaza's health centres have been [[Attacks on health facilities during the Gaza war|destroyed or damaged]].{{sfn|Neuman|Baba|Wood|2024}} Israel also [[Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip|destroyed numerous cultural heritage sites]], including all 12 of Gaza's universities, and 80% of its schools.[{{cite web |date=18 April 2024 |title=UN experts deeply concerned over 'scholasticide' in Gaza |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/un-experts-deeply-concerned-over-scholasticide-gaza |publisher=[[United Nations]] |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418145510/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/04/un-experts-deeply-concerned-over-scholasticide-gaza |archive-date=18 April 2024 |url-status=live}}][{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Stack|Shbair|2024}}
| {{cite news |title=In Gaza, Palestinians hold Ramadan prayers by ruins of mosque |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-palestinians-hold-ramadan-prayers-by-ruins-mosque-2024-03-15/ |work=[[Reuters]] |date=15 March 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240818091417/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-palestinians-hold-ramadan-prayers-by-ruins-mosque-2024-03-15/ |archive-date=18 August 2024}}
| {{harvnb|Kansara|Nour|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Saber|2024}}
| {{harvnb|El Chamaa|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Moutafa|2023}}
}}] Over 1.9 million Palestinians—85% of Gaza's population—were forcibly displaced.[{{cite news |title=UN: Gaza 'catastrophe' threatens to raise record global displacement |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/13/un-refugee-chief-says-gaza-war-leading-to-catastrophic-displacement |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=13 December 2023 |access-date=10 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251110010942/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/13/un-refugee-chief-says-gaza-war-leading-to-catastrophic-displacement |archive-date=10 November 2025}}]
In December 2023, the government of [[South Africa]] instituted proceedings, ''[[South Africa v. Israel]]'', against Israel at the [[International Court of Justice]] (ICJ), alleging a violation of the [[Genocide Convention]].[[[#ICJ-order-2024-01-26|Order, ''S. Afr.'', No. 192 (ICJ 26 January 2024)]].][{{cite news |last1=Simon |first1=Scott |last2=Peralta |first2=Eyder |date=27 January 2024 |url-status=live |title=ICJ finds genocide case against Israel 'plausible', orders it to stop violations |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/01/27/1227397107/icj-finds-genocide-case-against-israel-plausible-orders-it-to-stop-violations#:~:text=Live%20Sessions-,ICJ%20finds%20genocide%20case%20against%20Israel%20%27plausible%27%2C%20orders%20it,Africa%20has%20brought%20against%20Israel. |work=[[NPR]] |access-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128232512/https://www.npr.org/2024/01/27/1227397107/icj-finds-genocide-case-against-israel-plausible-orders-it-to-stop-violations |archive-date=28 January 2024}}]{{sfn|Casciani|2024a}} The court later ordered Israel to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza and to halt its [[Rafah offensive]].{{sfn|Casciani|2024b}}{{sfn|Marsi|Siddiqui|Motamedi|2024}} Israel did not fully comply with the court's orders.[{{cite web |date=26 February 2024 |title=Israel defying ICJ ruling to prevent genocide by failing to allow adequate humanitarian aid to reach Gaza |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/israel-defying-icj-ruling-to-prevent-genocide-by-failing-to-allow-adequate-humanitarian-aid-to-reach-gaza/ |website=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251002014945/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/02/israel-defying-icj-ruling-to-prevent-genocide-by-failing-to-allow-adequate-humanitarian-aid-to-reach-gaza/ |archive-date=2 October 2025}}][{{cite web |date=26 February 2024 |title=Israel Not Complying with World Court Order in Genocide Case |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/26/israel-not-complying-world-court-order-genocide-case |website=[[Human Rights Watch]] |access-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250929174451/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/26/israel-not-complying-world-court-order-genocide-case |archive-date=29 September 2025}}][{{cite web |last1=Kuttab |first1=Jonathan |date=20 March 2024 |title=Israeli Non-Compliance with ICJ Provisional Orders |url=https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/israeli-non-compliance-with-icj-provisional-orders/ |website=[[Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies|Arab Center Washington DC]] |access-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250810015533/https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/israeli-non-compliance-with-icj-provisional-orders/ |archive-date=10 August 2025}}]
Israel and its supporters maintain that its actions [[Gaza genocide denial|do not constitute genocide]].{{sfn|Casciani|2024a}}[{{cite news |last1=Deutsch |first1=Anthony |last2=Sterling |first2=Toby |last3=Berg |first3=Stephanie van den |date=12 January 2024 |title=Israel rejects genocide charges, tells World Court it must defend itself |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-counter-genocide-accusations-world-court-2024-01-12/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240810000046/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-counter-genocide-accusations-world-court-2024-01-12/ |archive-date=10 August 2024 |access-date=23 June 2025 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en}}] The Israeli government maintains that its military actions were a response to the [[Hamas]]-led [[October 7 attacks]] on Israel and that it sought to destroy Hamas and free [[Israeli hostages]].[{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-soldiers-fend-off-nighttime-hamas-ambush-as-battalion-commander-killed-in-gaza/ |title=IDF soldiers fend off nighttime Hamas ambush, as battalion commander killed in Gaza |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |date=3 November 2023 |first1=Emanuel |last1=Fabian |first2=Michael |last2=Bachner |archive-date=2 November 2023 |access-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102185204/https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-soldiers-fend-off-nighttime-hamas-ambush-as-battalion-commander-killed-in-gaza/ |url-status=live}}] There is increasing consensus among genocide and international legal scholars on the genocide assessment,[{{Cite book |last=Stern-Weiner |first=Jamie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8U9V0AEACAAJ |title=Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm |date=2024 |publisher=OR Books |isbn=978-1-68219-619-9 |language=en}}] The International Court of Justice subsequently issued an [[ICJ case on Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories|advisory opinion]] that despite the withdrawal Israel is still illegally occupying the Gaza Strip.[{{cite news |last1=Berg |first1=Raffi |date=19 July 2024 |title=UN top court says Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjerjzxlpvdo |access-date=3 October 2025 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250922204607/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjerjzxlpvdo |archive-date=22 September 2025 |url-status=live}}]
Since 2007, the [[Gaza Strip]] has been governed by [[Hamas]], an [[Islamism|Islamist]] militant group, while the [[West Bank]] remained under the control of the [[Palestinian Authority]]. After Hamas took over, Israel intensified its [[blockade of the Gaza Strip]], citing security concerns;[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Perry|McDowall|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Kane|Cohen|Shamir|Scher|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Salam|2023a}}
}}][{{Cite news |last=Meakem |first=Allison |date=10 October 2023 |title=The Geopolitics of Palestine, Explained |work=[[Foreign Policy]] |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/10/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-hamas-war-geography-history/ |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015213033/https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/10/israel-palestine-conflict-gaza-hamas-war-geography-history/ |url-status=live}}] international rights groups have called the blockade a form of [[collective punishment]].[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Nebehay|2011}}: "A panel of five independent U.N. rights experts [said] the blockade had subjected Gazans to collective punishment in 'flagrant contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law.{{'"}}
| {{Cite book |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/5670/2023/en/ |title=Amnesty International Report 2022/23: The State of the World's Human Rights |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-86210-502-0 |location=[[London]] |pages=206–211 |chapter=Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories |access-date=15 October 2023 |quote=This compounded the impact of a 15-year ongoing Israeli blockade that amounts to illegal collective punishment |archive-date=16 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231016210727/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/5670/2023/en/ |url-status=live}}
| {{Cite news |date=13 January 2009 |title=Deprived and Endangered: Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/01/13/deprived-and-endangered-humanitarian-crisis-gaza-strip |access-date=15 October 2023 |quote=The blockade is a form of collective punishment in violation of international law. |archive-date=4 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404041422/http://www.hrw.org/news/2009/01/12/deprived-and-endangered-humanitarian-crisis-gaza-strip |url-status=live}}
| {{Cite news |date=13 February 2017 |title=Hamas hardliner Yahya Sinwar elected as Gaza leader |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38955499 |access-date=15 October 2023 |quote=Israel and Egypt maintain a blockade around Gaza aimed at preventing attacks by militants there, though the measure has been condemned by rights groups as a form of collective punishment. |archive-date=22 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022080210/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38955499 |url-status=live}}
}}][{{cite magazine |last=Ackerman |first=Seth |date=4 January 2024 |title=There was an Iron Wall in Gaza |url=https://jacobin.com/2024/01/IRON-WALL-GAZA-ISRAEL-DEFENSE-FORCES-REALPOLITIK-PALESTINE-HISTORY?MC_CID=3B53D49205&MC_EID=B7EDF81030 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105010623/https://jacobin.com/2024/01/IRON-WALL-GAZA-ISRAEL-DEFENSE-FORCES-REALPOLITIK-PALESTINE-HISTORY?MC_CID=3B53D49205&MC_EID=B7EDF81030 |archive-date=5 January 2024 |access-date=8 January 2024 |magazine=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |quote=The unemployment rate soared to "probably the highest in the world", four-fifths of the population were forced to rely on humanitarian assistance, three-quarters became dependent on food aid, more than half faced "acute food insecurity", one in ten children were stunted by malnutrition, and over 96 percent of potable water became unsafe for human consumption.}}][{{cite news |last=Abdulrahim |first=Raja |date=7 October 2023 |title=Gaza Has Suffered Under 16-Year Blockade |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/world/middleeast/gaza-blockade-israel.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=24 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024053734/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/world/middleeast/gaza-blockade-israel.html |url-status=live}}] [[UNRWA]] reported that, due to the blockade, 81% of Gazans were living below the poverty level in 2023, with 63% food insecure and dependent on international assistance.[{{cite news |last1=Alfonseca |first1=Kiara |date=11 October 2023 |title=Palestinian civilians suffer in Israel–Gaza crossfire as death toll rises |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/palestinian-civilians-suffer-israel-hamas-crossfire-death-toll/story?id=103828889 |url-status=live |access-date=12 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012150320/https://abcnews.go.com/International/palestinian-civilians-suffer-israel-hamas-crossfire-death-toll/story?id=103828889 |archive-date=12 October 2023}}][{{cite web |date=June 2022 |title=The Gaza Strip: The humanitarian impact of 15 years of blockade |url=https://www.unicef.org/mena/documents/gaza-strip-humanitarian-impact-15-years-blockade-june-2022 |access-date=16 November 2023 |website=[[UNICEF]] |archive-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115160019/https://www.unicef.org/mena/documents/gaza-strip-humanitarian-impact-15-years-blockade-june-2022 |url-status=live}}] Since 2007, Israel and Hamas (and other Palestinian militias in Gaza) have engaged in conflict,[{{cite web |last=Beauchamp |first=Zack |title=Why did Hamas invade Israel?|url=https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907323/israel-war-hamas-attack-explained-southern-israel-gaza |access-date=6 November 2023 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |date=7 October 2023 |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007185123/https://www.vox.com/2023/10/7/23907323/israel-war-hamas-attack-explained-southern-israel-gaza |url-status=live}}] including four wars in [[Gaza War (2008–2009)|2008–2009]], [[2012 Gaza War|2012]], [[2014 Gaza War|2014]], and [[2021 Israel–Palestine crisis|2021]].[{{cite news |last=Courty |first=Audrey |date=19 November 2023 |title=These six charts show the scale of human loss in the Israel–Gaza war |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-20/six-charts-that-show-the-scale-of-human-loss-in-israel-gaza-war/103074196 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202135746/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-20/six-charts-that-show-the-scale-of-human-loss-in-israel-gaza-war/103074196 |archive-date=2 February 2024 |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]}}][{{cite news |last=Tan |first=Joanna |date=12 November 2023 |title=Charts show a stark difference in the human cost of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts over the years |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/12/israel-hamas-war-data-shows-human-cost-of-conflict-through-the-years.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114213622/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/12/israel-hamas-war-data-shows-human-cost-of-conflict-through-the-years.html |archive-date=14 January 2024 |access-date=7 March 2024 |work=[[CNBC]]}}]
On 7 October 2023 Hamas led [[October 7 attacks|an attack into Israel]] from Gaza,[{{cite news |date=8 October 2023 |title=Hamas leader Haniyeh: Battle 'will spread to West Bank, Jerusalem' |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2387276/middle-east |agency=[[Associated Press]] and [[Reuters]] |work=Arab News |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018143356/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2387276/middle-east |archive-date=18 October 2023 |quote=The leader of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, said Saturday's assault was in response to the 16-year blockade of Gaza, Israeli raids inside West Bank cities over the past year, violence at Al-Aqsa and increasing attacks by settlers on Palestinians, and growth of settlements.}}][{{cite news |title=Hundreds dead as war erupts after surprise Hamas attack catches Israel off guard |date=7 October 2023 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/gaza-israel-rockets-attack-hamas-1.6990209 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[CBC News]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110155357/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/gaza-israel-rockets-attack-hamas-1.6990209 |archive-date=10 January 2024}}]{{sfn|Shaw|2024|p=1}} killing at least 1,139{{sfn|Semerdjian|2024a|p=1}}{{sfn|Marsi|Siddiqui|2024}}{{#tag:ref|A small number of these deaths (it is unclear exactly how many) were a result of [[friendly fire]], including civilians killed by Israeli military fire while attempting to prevent their abduction by armed Palestinians and combatants killed as a result of the [[Hannibal Directive]].{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=5}}[{{cite news |last1=Bergman |first1=Ronen |author-link=Ronen Bergman |last2=Zitun |first2=Yoav |date=10 January 2024 |script-title=he:ההוראה: למנוע ממחבלים לחזור לעזה 'בכל מחיר', גם אם יש איתם חטופים |title=hahor'a: lemanoa mimchavlim lechzor le'eza tavivkel mechir, gam am yesh itam hatofim |trans-title=The instructions: prevent terrorists from returning to Gaza "at all costs" even if there are hostages with them |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13754368 |access-date=12 January 2024 |work=[[Ynet]] |language=he |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224193530/https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/yokra13754368 |archive-date=24 February 2024 |script-quote=he:ההערכות הן כי בשטח שבין יישובי העוטף לרצועה נהרגו כאלף מחבלים ומסתננים. לא ברור בשלב זה כמה מהחטופים נהרגו בשל הפעלת הפקודה הזו. |quote=haha'arkot hen ki beshtach shvin yishuvi ha'otef lirtzu'a nehargu ke'elef mechavlim vemistananim. le brur beshlav ze kma mehachatofim nehargu beshel hifalet hapkuda hazu. |trans-quote=It is estimated that about a thousand terrorists and infiltrators were killed in the area between the settlements of the encirclement and the Strip. It is not clear at this stage how many of the hostages were killed as a result of the operation of this order.}}][{{cite news |last1=Bergman |first1=Ronen |author1-link=Ronen Bergman |last2=Zitun |first2=Yoav |date=12 January 2024 |script-title=he:השעות הראשונות של השבת השחורה |title=hashe'ot ha'roshonot shel hashevet hischura |trans-title=The first hours of Black Saturday |url=https://w.ynet.co.il/yediot/7-days/time-of-darkness |access-date=19 January 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118162157/https://w.ynet.co.il/yediot/7-days/time-of-darkness |archive-date=18 January 2024 |work=[[Yedioth Ahronoth]] |language=he |script-quote=he:הוראות לפתוח באש על רכבי מחבלים שדהרו לעזה, גם אם יש חשש שיש בהם חטופים—מעין גרסה מחודשת ל"נוהל חניבעל" |quote=hora'ot lefetuch bash al rakvi mechavlim shadheru le'eza, gam am yesh hashesh shish behem hatofim—me'in garsa mechodshet le "nohel haniva'al" |trans-quote=orders to open fire on terrorist vehicles that were racing to Gaza, even if there were concerns that they contained hostages—a kind of renewed version of the "Hannibal Procedure"}}] There are up to 15 known civilian deaths from these causes: up to 13 in Be'eri, one from helicopter gunfire on a vehicle carrying a hostage,[{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/coi-report-a-hrc-56-26-27may24/ |title=Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel – Advance unedited version (A/HRC/56/26) |website=[[United Nations]] |date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240613074028/https://www.un.org/unispal/document/coi-report-a-hrc-56-26-27may24/ |archive-date=13 June 2024}}] and one in Kibbutz Alumim.[{{cite news |last1=Breiner |first1=Josh |last2=Peleg |first2=Bar |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-22/ty-article-magazine/.premium/nova-partygoer-was-misidentified-as-hamas-terrorist-on-oct-7-killed-by-israeli-forces/0000018d-d14f-df79-a5cd-f17f934d0000 |title=Israeli Nova partygoer was misidentified as Hamas terrorist on October 7 and killed by Israel forces |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=22 February 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240225062637/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-02-22/ty-article-magazine/.premium/nova-partygoer-was-misidentified-as-hamas-terrorist-on-oct-7-killed-by-israeli-forces/0000018d-d14f-df79-a5cd-f17f934d0000 |archive-date=25 February 2024}}] According to [[Ynet]], there was an "immense and complex quantity" of friendly-fire incidents on the part of IDF during the 7 October attack, accounting for a fifth of the 105 military deaths then recorded.[{{cite news |last=Zitun |first=Yoav |date=12 December 2023 |title=One-fifth of troop fatalities in Gaza due to friendly fire or accidents, IDF reports |language=en |work=[[Ynet]] |url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkjqoobip |access-date=15 December 2023 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214212217/https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkjqoobip |archive-date=14 December 2023 |quote=Casualties fell as a result of friendly fire on October 7, but the IDF believes that beyond the operational investigations of the events, it would not be morally sound to investigate these incidents due to the immense and complex quantity of them that took place in the kibbutzim and southern Israeli communities due to the challenging situations the soldiers were in at the time.}}]|group=lower-alpha}} people, most of them [[Nova music festival massacre|civilians]].[{{cite news |title=Israel social security data reveals true picture of Oct 7 deaths |date=15 December 2023 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231215-israel-social-security-data-reveals-true-picture-of-oct-7-deaths |work=[[France 24]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304185753/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20231215-israel-social-security-data-reveals-true-picture-of-oct-7-deaths |archive-date=4 March 2024}}] The attack included grave acts of violence, including [[Sexual and gender-based violence in the October 7 attacks|sexual violence]].{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=5}} During the attack, Palestinian militant groups [[Gaza war hostage crisis|abducted 251 people from Israel]] to the [[Gaza Strip]].[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Sherwood|2023}}
| {{Cite magazine |date=9 October 2023 |title=Images of the Mass Kidnapping of Israelis by Hamas |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/kidnappings-israel-hamas-photographs/675593/ |access-date=10 October 2023 |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |language=en |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010012057/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2023/10/kidnappings-israel-hamas-photographs/675593/ |url-status=live}}
| {{harvnb|Vinograd|Kershner|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Kellman|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Jones|Fidler|2023}}
}}] [[Israeli government response to the October 7 attacks|Israel responded]] with a highly destructive[{{cite news |last=Dyer |first=Evan |date=30 December 2023 |title=Israel's Gaza bombing campaign is the most destructive of this century, analysts say |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/israel-gaza-bombing-hamas-civilian-casualties-1.7068647 |work=[[CBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630222241/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/israel-gaza-bombing-hamas-civilian-casualties-1.7068647 |archive-date=30 June 2024}}] [[Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip|bombing campaign]] followed by an [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip|invasion of the Gaza Strip]] on 27 October.{{sfn|Segal|Daniele|2024|p=6}}
Hamas officials said the attack was a response to the [[Israeli-occupied territories|Israeli occupation of the West Bank]], the [[blockade of the Gaza Strip|blockade of Gaza]], [[Israeli settler violence]] against Palestinians, [[Palestinian freedom of movement|restrictions on the movement of Palestinians]], and the [[Palestinians in Israeli custody|detainment of thousands of Palestinians, many without charges]], whom Hamas sought to release by taking Israeli hostages.[{{cite news |date=7 October 2023 |title=Fears of a ground invasion of Gaza grow as Israel vows 'mighty vengeance' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/world-is-watching-fears-grow-of-a-massive-gaza-invasion-by-israel |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=8 October 2023 |archive-date=8 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008024318/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/7/world-is-watching-fears-grow-of-a-massive-gaza-invasion-by-israel |url-status=live}}]{{sfn|McKernan|Michaelson|Graham-Harrison|Kierszenbaum|2023}}[{{cite news |last=Pacchiani |first=Luca |date=7 October 2023 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-deputy-chief-anticipates-hostages-will-be-swapped-for-palestinian-prisoners/ |title=Hamas deputy chief anticipates hostages will be swapped for Palestinian prisoners |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |access-date=25 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126123700/https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-deputy-chief-anticipates-hostages-will-be-swapped-for-palestinian-prisoners/ |archive-date=26 November 2024}}] Numerous commentators have identified Israeli occupation as a cause of the war.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Matar|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Schenker|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Barghouti|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Federman|Adwan|2023}}
}}] Several human rights organisations, including [[Amnesty International]],{{sfn|Amnesty International|2022|pp=266–267}} [[B'Tselem]],[{{harvnb|B'Tselem|2021}}: "A regime that uses laws, practices and organized violence to cement the supremacy of one group over another is an apartheid regime. Israeli apartheid, which promotes the supremacy of Jews over Palestinians, was not born in one day or of a single speech. It is a process that has gradually grown more institutionalized and explicit, with mechanisms introduced over time in law and practice to promote Jewish supremacy. These accumulated measures, their pervasiveness in legislation and political practice, and the public and judicial support they receive—all form the basis for our conclusion that the bar for labeling the Israeli regime as apartheid has been met."] and [[Human Rights Watch]],[{{Cite news |last=Holmes |first=Oliver |date=27 April 2021 |title=Israel is committing the crime of apartheid, rights group says |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/27/israel-committing-crime-apartheid-human-rights-watch |url-status=live |access-date=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202210105/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/27/israel-committing-crime-apartheid-human-rights-watch |archive-date=2 February 2022}}] have [[Israeli apartheid|likened the Israeli occupation to apartheid]]; Israel's supporters dispute this characterisation.[{{cite news |date=4 May 2023 |title=Israël: l'Assemblée nationale rejette une résolution communiste dénonçant un "régime d'apartheid" |language=fr |trans-title=Israel: National Assembly rejects communist resolution denouncing 'apartheid regime' |work=[[Le Figaro]] |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/israel-l-assemblee-nationale-rejette-une-resolution-communiste-denoncant-un-regime-d-apartheid-20230504 |url-status=live |access-date=8 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614002231/https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/israel-l-assemblee-nationale-rejette-une-resolution-communiste-denoncant-un-regime-d-apartheid-20230504 |archive-date=14 June 2023}}][{{cite news |last1=Hutzler |first1=Alexandra |last2=Peller |first2=Lauren |date=19 July 2023 |title=House passes resolution saying Israel isn't a 'racist or apartheid state' |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-vote-resolution-israel-racist-apartheid-state/story?id=101410569 |url-status=live |access-date=15 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030033122/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-vote-resolution-israel-racist-apartheid-state/story?id=101410569 |archive-date=30 October 2023}}] A July 2024 [[advisory opinion]] by the [[International Court of Justice]] [[ICJ case on Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories|affirmed the occupation as illegal]] and said it violated the [[International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination]].[{{cite news |last=Siddique |first=Haroon |date=19 July 2024 |title=UN court orders Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/19/israels-settlement-policies-break-international-law-court-finds |access-date=25 September 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-date=22 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722174228/https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/19/israels-settlement-policies-break-international-law-court-finds |url-status=live}}]
During the first 48 hours of Israel's retaliatory attack, IDF chief [[Herzi Halevi]] reported that the IDF attacked 1,000 targets. According to his wife, he told her that "Gaza will be destroyed". Reportedly, Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] subsequently said he wanted 5,000 targets to be attacked, even though the IDF had not confirmed 5,000 enemy targets. Artificial intelligence was used to generate a list of targets, in many cases based on unconfirmed or outdated intelligence. About 10,000 Palestinians were killed in a month, including entire families. [[Shmuel Lederman]] called this "as criminal as it gets".{{sfn|Lederman|2025|p=7}}
The Israeli government has said that the military actions it has undertaken are in response to the [[October 7 attacks]] and sought to destroy Hamas, overthrow its [[governance of the Gaza Strip]], and free Israeli hostages. It has denied that its military operations constitute genocide.[{{harvnb|Fassin|2024|pp=1–2}}; {{harvnb|Semerdjian|2024a|pp=1, 3}}; {{harvnb|Levene|2024|pp=1–2}}][{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|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.{{'"}}
| {{harvnb|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."
| {{harvnb|Chacar|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Smith|McCarthy|Londoño|Jordan|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Nichols|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Bishara|2023}}
}}][{{harvnb|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.'] [[Nimer Sultany]] argues that [[anti-Palestinianism]] is also a motive.{{sfn|Sultany|2024|pp=2–3}}
=== Definitions of genocide and legal challenges ===
{{main|Genocide definitions}}
The 1948 United Nations [[Genocide Convention]] defines genocide as acts committed "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group", and as such, "causing harm, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children".{{sfn|United Nations|2014}}[{{cite web |title=United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect |url=https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201103920/https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/genocide.shtml |archive-date=1 December 2023 |access-date=3 January 2024 |website=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead}}] The [[International Court of Justice]] has never held a state liable for genocide.[{{Cite news |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=2024-01-11 |title=ICJ case against Israel could finally empower the genocide convention |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/11/icj-case-against-israel-could-finally-empower-the-genocide-convention |access-date=2026-01-22 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |quote=In 2007, the court [ICJ] ruled that Serbia had failed to prevent the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a case of a victim taking an alleged perpetrator to court, but it has never yet held a state responsible for the commission of genocide.}}][{{cite web |last=Gehani |first=Brishna |date=16 February 2024 |title=Is the ICJ's standard of proof for genocide unattainable? |url=https://rsilpak.org/2024/is-the-icjs-standard-of-proof-for-genocide-unattainable/ |access-date=27 February 2025 |website=Research Society of International Law |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219161802/https://rsilpak.org/2024/is-the-icjs-standard-of-proof-for-genocide-unattainable/ |url-status=live |archive-date=19 December 2024}}]
The original definition coined by [[Raphael Lemkin]] was broader than that used by the Genocide Convention and included [[Cultural genocide|cultural and social destruction]]. In contrast, orthodox scholarly definitions emphasise actions targeting a group's physical survival.{{sfn|Semerdjian|2024b|p=14}}{{sfn|McDoom|2024|p=3}} No minimum number of victims[{{cite web|title=Legal concepts and questions |url=https://iimm.un.org/legal-concepts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808100717/https://iimm.un.org/legal-concepts/ |url-status=live |archive-date=8 August 2024|website=Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar}} "There is no minimum number of victims, but the part of the group targeted must be significant enough that its destruction would impact the group as a whole."][{{cite web|title=Large number of victims|website=ICTR/ICTY/IRMCT Case Law Database|url=https://cld.irmct.org/notions/show/508/large-number-of-victims# |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240825165026/https://cld.irmct.org/notions/show/508/large-number-of-victims|archive-date=25 August 2024|publisher=[[International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals]]}}]{{sfn|UNHR|2024|pp=24–25}} or intended victims[{{Cite web |last1=Stanton |first1=Gregory H |author-link=Gregory Stanton |date=25 May 2025 |title=Israel's Twelve Tactics of Denial |url=https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/israel-s-twelve-tactics-of-denial |access-date=23 September 2025 |website=Genocide Watch |language=en |quote=Many who have not read the Genocide Convention think genocide can only be proven if the intent is to destroy a whole people. But the Convention clearly states that intent to destroy part of a people is enough to prove genocide.}}] is required to establish the crime, nor is complete destruction of the group.[{{cite book |last1=Ohlin |first1=Jens |author-link=Jens David Ohlin |chapter=Attempt to Commit Genocide |date=15 October 2009 |title=The UN Genocide Convention |editor-last=Gaeta |editor-first=Paola |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |pages=193–206 |doi=10.1093/law/9780199570218.003.0009 |isbn=978-0-19-957021-8}}] In the [[Rohingya genocide case]], several states contended that the ICJ should "adopt a balanced approach that recognizes the special gravity of the crime of genocide, without rendering the threshold for inferring [[genocidal intent]] so difficult to meet so as to make findings of genocide near-impossible."{{sfn|Jamshidi|2024a|p=13}}
== Genocidal intent and incitement ==
{{Main|Intent and incitement in the Gaza genocide}}
[[File:Palestinians under the rubble after Israeli airstrike of homes in the Gaza Strip.jpg|thumb|Palestinians under the rubble after [[Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip]]]]
Experts affirm that statements by Israeli political and military leaders{{sfn|Segal|Daniele|2024|pp=1–2}}{{sfn|Lederman|2024|pp=1–2}}[{{cite news |last=Asem |first=Sondos |date=14 August 2025 |title=Israel's war on Gaza: Why do legal experts say it's genocide? |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-gaza-why-experts-say-genocide-international-law |url-status=live |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250819152628/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-gaza-why-experts-say-genocide-international-law |archive-date=19 August 2025}}]—coupled with [[Eliminationism|eliminationist]] media rhetoric and Israel's conduct in Gaza—indicate [[genocidal intent]] and [[Incitement to genocide|incitement]] against the [[Palestinians|Palestinian people]] in Gaza.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|UN Commission of Inquiry report|2025|p=54}}: "The Commission finds that many statements made by Israeli officials contain dehumanising sentiments that encourage hatred toward Palestinians and violence against Palestinians and are consistent with the pattern of conduct...that point to an intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a group. The Commission considers that these statements by Israeli officials are reasonably interpreted as statements expressing an intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza and they have been acted on as such by Israeli security forces in the Gaza Strip. They are direct evidence of dolus specialis."
| {{harvnb|Amnesty International report|2024|p=|pp=26–35}}: "Bearing in mind that...the othering and dehumanization of the protected group and that the use of derogatory language...can provide evidence of genocidal intent, Amnesty International examined Israeli officials' use of dehumanizing, racist and derogatory rhetoric against Palestinians.... It reviewed 102 statements made by Israeli government officials, high-ranking military officers and members of the Knesset made between 7 October 2023 and 30 June 2024 which dehumanized Palestinians, or called for, or justified, genocidal acts or other crimes under international law against them."
| {{harvnb|Kulkarni|2023}}: "Army's spokesperson Daniel Hagari, who bragged of dropping 'thousands of tons of munitions'...had no qualms admitting that 'we're focused on what causes maximum damage', rather than 'accuracy'. Referring to Palestinians as 'human animals', Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who prided in having 'released all the restraints' on the military, had said in the early days of the war that 'we will eliminate everything' in Gaza...Legitimizing the mass killing of civilians in Gaza, Israeli President Isaac Herzog had declared that 'an entire nation out there is responsible' for the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, arguing that the 'rhetoric' about innocent civilians is 'absolutely not true.'... 'This practice of casting an entire population as enemies, as legitimate military targets, is a common genocidal mechanism,' Raz Segal, a prominent Jewish Israeli scholar of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, said in his remarks at the panel discussion."
}}]{{sfn|Gessen|2024}} Genocidal intent is also evidenced by the [[Casualties of the Gaza war|scale]] and systematic nature of actions that exceed any legitimate military objective[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Al-Waheidi|2025}}: "Fyfe, the Washington and Lee University legal scholar, said, 'Genocide can occur within or outside of war. But it is never permissible, even if the war itself is. So war is not a defense...If a military leader intends to gain land and removing a group is the only way to do it, that's not necessarily genocide. But if the only reasonable inference from a siege or campaign is that the group itself is being destroyed as such, then that is genocidal intent...I do not think it is reasonable to claim that the siege is a military objective, given that Hamas is already crippled."{{px2}}"
| {{harvnb|Gurmendi Dunkelberg|2025|p=21}}
| {{harvnb|Jamshidi|2024b}}
}}][{{harvnb|UN Commission of Inquiry report|2025|p=64}}: "The extensive and deliberate targeting of Palestinian children shows that the military operations were not conducted solely to defeat Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, nor can they legitimately contribute to the other stated goals of defending the state of Israel and securing the release of Israeli hostages."][{{harvnb|UN Commission of Inquiry report|2025|p=25}}: "Whether targeting women, men, boys or girls, sexual violence was conducted not just to degrade and humiliate profoundly the direct victims but to punish the Palestinian group as a whole."] [[Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip|destruction of cultural heritage]],[{{harvnb|Amnesty International report|2024|p=32}}:][{{Cite web |date=30 January 2024 |title=Widescale destruction of cultural heritage in Gaza |url=https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2024/01/widescale-destruction-of-cultural-heritage-in-gaza/ |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=[[Museums Association]] |language=en-US |quote=The destruction of cultural heritage, which Palestinians have accused Israel of targeting deliberately, was cited as evidence in South Africa's case to the UN International Court of Justice that the state is committing acts of genocide in Gaza. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250818185206/https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2024/01/widescale-destruction-of-cultural-heritage-in-gaza/ |archive-date=18 August 2025}}] and imposition of [[Gaza humanitarian crisis|life-destroying conditions]][{{harvnb|Amnesty International report|2024|p=213}}: "The nature of the conditions of life that Israel imposed on Palestinians in Gaza following 7 October 2023 indicates that the destruction of the group, as such, was their intended outcome. The Israeli authorities decided to impose a total siege on Gaza on 9 October 2023...fully aware that this would necessarily cause and exacerbate malnutrition, hunger, the outbreak of multiple diseases and, ultimately, bring Gaza to the brink of famine. Indeed, Israel must have been aware of the 'objective probability' that these conditions of life would lead to the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, a factor identified as probative of intent."]{{sfn|Quigley|2024a}}—together with the persistence of these practices despite awareness of their catastrophic effects.[{{harvnb|UN Commission of Inquiry report|2025|p=62}}: "The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities were aware that, by destroying the healthcare system throughout Gaza, their actions would lead to the destruction of Palestinians as a group... the systematic and complete destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza, the siege-induced deprivation of medical necessities... were part of the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza by preventing their capacity and possibility to heal, recover and live"][{{harvnb|Lederman|2025|p=2}}: "The case of Gaza...shows us again why the meaning of intent in the Genocide Convention should be reinterpreted...to include the foreseeable consequences of a given policy when its meaning is the genocidal destruction of a group or a severe harm to it as a group—a knowledge-based rather than purpose-based concept of genocide. Such a concept points to...moving away from the focus on obscure mental states of individual perpetrators to the collective process that leads to genocide."]
{{Quote box|"I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly."{{#tag:ref|[[Modern Hebrew|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|״הוריתי להטיל מצור מוחלט על רצועת עזה. לא יהיה חשמל, לא יהיה מזון, לא יהיה דלק הכל סגור. אנחנו נלחמים בחיות אדם ואנחנו נוהגים בהתאם״|rtl=y}}|group=lower-alpha}}
| author = – [[Yoav Gallant]], Minister of Defense of Israel, on 9 October 2023[{{Cite web |date=10 October 2023 |script-title=he:מדיניות נקמה יצאה לדרך; ישראל מבצעת פשעי מלחמה בעזה |title=mediniot nikma yetza'a lidrach; yisral mivtza'at pashe'i milchama be'eza |trans-title=A policy of revenge is underway; Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza |url=https://www.btselem.org/hebrew/press_releases/20231010_revenge_policy_in_motion_israel_committing_war_crimes_in_gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119111743/https://www.btselem.org/hebrew/press_releases/20231010_revenge_policy_in_motion_israel_committing_war_crimes_in_gaza |archive-date=19 January 2025 |access-date=30 September 2025 |website=[[B'Tselem]] |language=he}}][{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Gaza/Palestine: States have a Duty to Prevent Genocide |url=https://www.icj.org/resource/gaza-occupied-palestinian-territory-states-have-a-duty-to-prevent-genocide/ |access-date=30 September 2025 |website=[[International Commission of Jurists]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250924011619/https://www.icj.org/resource/gaza-occupied-palestinian-territory-states-have-a-duty-to-prevent-genocide/ |archive-date=24 September 2025}}][{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.facebook.com/reel/2475688039283347/ |script-title=he:הוריתי להטיל מצור מוחלט על עזה. אנחנו נלחמים בחיות אדם, ונוהגים בהתאם. |title=horiti lehatil metzur muchlat al aza. anachanu nilchmim bechayot adam, venohagim behitam |trans-title=I have ordered a complete blockade of Gaza. We are fighting human beings, and we are acting accordingly. |date=9 October 2023 |first=Yoav |last=Gallant |author-link=Yoav Gallant |language=he |access-date=30 September 2025 |via=www.facebook.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251123173104/https://www.facebook.com/reel/2475688039283347/ |archive-date=23 November 2025}}]
| align = right
| width = 250px
}}
Both a [[Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory|United Nations commission of inquiry]] and [[Amnesty International]] documented a "pattern of conduct" by Israeli authorities, concluding that genocidal intent is the "only reasonable inference" that can be drawn from the evidence.[{{harvnb|Amnesty International report|2024|p=35}}: "The evidence presented in the report clearly shows that the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, as such, was Israel's intent—either in addition to or as a means to achieve its military aims. There is only one reasonable inference that can be drawn from the evidence presented: genocidal intent has been part and parcel of Israel's conduct in Gaza since 7 October 2023, including its military campaign."][{{harvnb|UN Commission of Inquiry report|2025|p=64}}: "On the basis of fully conclusive evidence, the Commission finds that statements made by Israeli authorities are direct evidence of genocidal intent. Additionally, on the basis of circumstantial evidence, the Commission finds that genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference that could be drawn, based on the pattern of conduct of the Israeli authorities. Thus, the Commission concludes that the Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces have the genocidal intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."] Other organisations that have attributed genocidal intent to the actions or statements of Israeli officials include a [[Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People|United Nations panel]]{{sfn|Kulkarni|2023}}{{sfn|Condon|Condon|2024}} and [[Genocide Watch]].[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Stanton|2025b}}
| {{harvnb|Condon|Condon|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Kulkarni|2023}}
}}][{{harvnb|"Public Statement: Scholars Warn"|2023}}] As part of ''[[Defense for Children International – Palestine v. Biden]]'', the historian [[Barry Trachtenberg]] said that the rhetoric used by Israeli officials underlies the consensus among genocide historians that the situation in Gaza constitutes genocide.{{sfn|Gessen|2024}} [[Navi Pillay]], the chair of the UN commission of inquiry, compared the statements of Israeli politicians to the genocidal incitement during the [[Rwandan genocide]].[{{Cite news |last1=Doherty |first1=Ben |date=3 November 2025 |title=World must fight Israel's genocide in Gaza like it did apartheid, pioneering South African judge says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/04/world-must-fight-israel-genocide-gaza-like-aparthied-navi-pillay |access-date=3 November 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251105173449/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/04/world-must-fight-israel-genocide-gaza-like-aparthied-navi-pillay |archive-date=5 November 2025}}]
In September 2025, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, president [[Isaac Herzog]], and former defence minister [[Yoav Gallant]] were found by a United Nations commission of inquiry to have engaged in "direct and public [[incitement to commit genocide]]".{{sfn|UN Commission of Inquiry report|2025|pp=64–67}} Israeli leaders' [[Intent and incitement in the Gaza genocide#Amalek|repeated references]] to [[Amalek]]—the biblical enemy of Israelites whose annihilation is commanded by God—have been considered evidence of genocidal intent by many critics,[{{harvnb|Bartov|2023}}; {{harvnb|Jones|2024}}; {{harvnb|Levene|2024|pp=4–5}}; {{harvnb|Coghill|2024}}][{{#invoke:list|bulleted||{{harvnb|Marin|West|2024}}|{{harvnb|Bybelezer|2023}}|{{harvnb|Jones|2024}}|{{harvnb|Netanyahu|2023}}}}] including South Africa.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Goldenberg|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Schmitz|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Coghill|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Bartov|2023}}
}}][{{cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris |author-link=Chris McGreal |date=13 November 2023 |title=US rights group sues Biden for alleged 'failure to prevent genocide' in Gaza |language=en-GB |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/13/biden-lawsuit-alleged-failure-prevent-genocide-israel-palestine |access-date=14 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121091027/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/13/biden-lawsuit-alleged-failure-prevent-genocide-israel-palestine |archive-date=21 November 2023}}]
== Onset ==
[[B'Tselem]], the South African case against Israel, and some scholars who argue Israel is committing genocide argument give 7 October as its start date.[{{harvnb|Jamshidi|2024a|pp=1–4}}: "In its application to the ICJ, South Africa describes Israel's entire campaign inside Gaza since 7 October as genocidal."]{{sfn|Semerdjian|2024a|pp=3–4}}{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=82}} According to B'Tselem, "The genocidal assault on the residents of Gaza, and on all Palestinians as a group, cannot be understood without acknowledging the impact of the 7 October attack on Israeli society. The shock, fear and humiliation elicited by the attack, and the societal upheaval it triggered, served as a driving force for a shift in government policy toward the Palestinians—from oppression and control to destruction and annihilation."{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=5}} [[Martin Shaw (sociologist)|Martin Shaw]] and [[A. Dirk Moses]] argue that this "front-loaded violence" makes it harder to argue that the genocide began after the initial Israeli attack on Gaza.{{sfn|Shaw|2025b|p=3}}{{sfn|Moses|2025|p=12}}
On 13 October 2023, the historian [[Raz Segal]] said Israel was committing a "textbook case of genocide". He was one of the first scholars to do so.{{sfn|Klein|2025}} Others argue that the war was initially legitimate and the genocide started later, in 2024 or 2025.{{sfn|Shaw|2025b|p=3}}{{sfn|Moses|2025|p=12}} In September 2024, a UN [[Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People|Special Committee]] concluded, "the policies and practices of Israel during the reporting period [i.e. October 2023 to July 2024] are consistent with the characteristics of genocide."{{sfn|OHCHR|2024d|pp=1, 25–26}}
== Genocidal acts ==
{{#invoke:Multiple image|
| perrow = 1/1/2
| total_width = 300
| image1 = A newborn baby was killed as a result of the Israeli airstrike of Nuseirat camp, Gaza Strip.jpg
| image2 = Palestinians injured by an Israeli airstrike in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip 2.jpg
| image3 = An injured child receives treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after Israeli airstrike of the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza Strip.jpg
| image4 = Tasnim News Agency - Report from child casualties in Gaza.webm
| footer_align = center
| footer = '''Clockwise from top''': {{startflatlist}}
* A [[Infant|newborn baby]] killed as a result of an Israeli airstrike
* Palestinians injured by an Israeli airstrike in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip
* Video interviews conducted with several survivors of October 2023 Israeli airstrikes
* An injured child receives treatment at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital after [[December 2024 Nuseirat refugee camp attack|Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp]], Gaza Strip
{{endflatlist}}
}}
=== Direct killings ===
{{see also|War crimes in the Gaza war#By Israel|Gaza humanitarian crisis|Casualties of the Gaza war}}
UN experts and human rights organisations have characterised Israel's actions in Gaza as [[Extermination (crime)|extermination]],[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Murphy|2025}}: "U.N. experts said in a report on Tuesday that Israel committed the crime against humanity of 'extermination' by killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites in Gaza, part of a 'concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life.{{'"}}
| {{Cite web |date=19 December 2024 |title=Israel's Crime of Extermination, Acts of Genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza |access-date=16 September 2025 |website=[[Human Rights Watch]] |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250918070734/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza |archive-date=18 September 2025}}
| {{harvnb|Condon|Condon|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Bayoumi|2025}}: "...today it is Israel's acts of extermination and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, funded and enabled at every turn by a complicit west..."
| {{harvnb|Nashed|2025}}: {{"'}}The fact that the claims made by the RSF in Sudan resemble the claims Israel is making in Gaza … reveals the emergence of a template to commit mass extermination and even genocide,' said Luigi Daniele, a senior lecturer on IHL at Nottingham Law School."
}}] a [[Crimes against humanity|crime against humanity]] that involves "the act of killing on a large scale". During the [[Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip|first two months of bombing]], Israel dropped 25,000 tonnes of explosives on the Gaza Strip. Many of these were unguided bombs dropped in densely populated areas, obliterating entire neighbourhoods.{{sfn|Albanese|2024a|pp=6–7}} Since 7 October 2023, the IDF has been accused of extrajudicial killing of unarmed Palestinians[{{cite news |last1=Debre |first1=Isabel |last2=Shurafa |first2=Wafaa |date=14 December 2023 |title=Hungry, thirsty and humiliated: Israel's mass arrest campaign sows fear in northern Gaza |url=https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-detained-israel-hamas-gaza-war-0ecbc338e4024add059b87b38022086d |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118123911/https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-detained-israel-hamas-gaza-war-0ecbc338e4024add059b87b38022086d |archive-date=18 January 2024 |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[Associated Press]] |url-status=live |language=en}}][{{cite news |last=Frankel |first=Julia |date=15 December 2023 |title=Israeli military opens probe after videos show Israeli forces killing 2 Palestinians at close range |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-gaza-war-east-jerusalem-shooting-army-23338c903c08bdd3e5fade3e2a048ab1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124200810/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-gaza-war-east-jerusalem-shooting-army-23338c903c08bdd3e5fade3e2a048ab1 |archive-date=24 January 2024 |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[Associated Press]] |language=en}}] and healthcare personnel.[{{cite news |last1=Salman |first1=Abeer |last2=Khadder |first2=Kareem |date=23 December 2023 |title=Doctors accuse Israeli troops of desecrating bodies and shooting civilians at hospital Israel says was Hamas 'command center' |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/23/middleeast/kamal-adwan-hospital-gaza-israel-abuse-allegations-intl-cmd/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205231745/https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/23/middleeast/kamal-adwan-hospital-gaza-israel-abuse-allegations-intl-cmd/index.html |url-status=live |archive-date=5 February 2024 |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[CNN]] |language=en}}] Israeli soldiers have killed Palestinian civilians, with a December 2023 UN report stating that they allegedly shot them in front of their families.{{sfn|UNHR|2024|pp=37–38}} In January 2024, Israeli soldiers shot at civilians waving [[white flag]]s, killing one.{{sfn|UNHR|2024|pp=37–38}}[{{Cite news |date=24 January 2024 |title=Video shows Gaza civilian shot and killed in group waving white flag |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/video/video-shows-gaza-civilian-shot-and-killed-in-group-waving-white-flag-202880581884 |access-date=21 November 2025 |work=[[NBC News]] |language=en |quote=... video of a group of unarmed civilians waving a white flag in a designated Khan Younis "safe zone" being fired on, apparently by Israeli troops positioned nearby. One of the men was fatally wounded in the incident. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250926124214/https://www.nbcnews.com/video/video-shows-gaza-civilian-shot-and-killed-in-group-waving-white-flag-202880581884 |archive-date=26 September 2025}}] Doctors have identified numerous Palestinian children with single gunshot wounds to the head and chest, consistent with intentional targeting by Israeli forces.[{{cite news |last1=Effting |first1=Maud |date=13 September 2025 |last2=Feenstra |first2=Willem |title=What the Wounds Are Telling Us |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/v/2025/gunshot-palestine-children-israel-war~v1819649/ |access-date=14 September 2025 |work=[[De Volkskrant]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250913185156/https://www.volkskrant.nl/kijkverder/v/2025/gunshot-palestine-children-israel-war~v1819649/ |url-status=live |archive-date=13 September 2025 |language=en}}]
In April 2024, [[Gaza Strip mass graves|mass graves]] were found containing over 300 corpses,{{sfn|UNHR|2024|p=40}}[{{Cite news |date=23 April 2024 |title=Mass graves in Gaza show victims' hands were tied, says UN rights office |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148876 |access-date=21 November 2025 |work=UN News |publisher=[[United Nations]] |quote=A total of 283 bodies were recovered at Nasser Hospital ... 'Among the deceased were allegedly older people, women and wounded, while others were found tied with their hands…tied and stripped of their clothes' ... 'Reports suggest that there were 30 Palestinian bodies buried in two graves in the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City ... There are reports that the hands of some of these bodies were also tied' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240503081228/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/04/1148876 |archive-date=3 May 2024}}] allegedly including older people, women and wounded,[{{Cite news |last=Fabian |first=Emanuel |date=23 April 2024 |title=IDF rejects 'baseless' claim it dug mass graves at Gaza hospital; analysts also doubt charge |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-rejects-baseless-claim-it-dug-mass-graves-at-gaza-hospital-analysts-also-doubt-charge/ |url-status=live |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |access-date=24 April 2024 |archive-date=23 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423182223/https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-rejects-baseless-claim-it-dug-mass-graves-at-gaza-hospital-analysts-also-doubt-charge/}}] and that during its operation "in the area of Nasser Hospital, in accordance to the effort to locate hostages and missing persons, corpses buried by Palestinians in the area of Nasser Hospital were examined."[{{cite news |first1=Abeer |last1=Salman |first2=Ibrahim |last2=Dahman |first3=Tim |last3=Lister |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/22/middleeast/khan-younis-nasser-hospital-mass-grave-intl/index.html |title=More than 300 bodies found in mass grave at Gaza hospital, says Gaza Civil Defense |date=22 April 2024 |work=[[CNN]] |access-date=24 April 2024 |archive-date=24 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424055513/https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/22/middleeast/khan-younis-nasser-hospital-mass-grave-intl/index.html |url-status=live}}] It added, "Bodies examined, which did not belong to [[Israeli hostages in Gaza|Israeli hostages]], were returned to their place."[{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/world/middleeast/gaza-mass-grave.html |title=U.N. Calls for Inquiry Into Mass Graves at 2 Gaza Hospitals |first1=Liam |last1=Stack |first2=Hiba |last2=Yazbek |first3=Nick |last3=Cumming-Bruce |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=23 April 2024 |access-date=24 April 2024 |archive-date=24 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424003525/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/23/world/middleeast/gaza-mass-grave.html |url-status=live}}]
At least 14,000 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza by December 2023.[{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-authorities-identify-gaza-hostages-dead-captivity-2023-12-01/ |title=Israeli authorities identify Gaza hostages dead captivity |work=[[Reuters]] |date=1 December 2023 |access-date=10 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251110121934/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-authorities-identify-gaza-hostages-dead-captivity-2023-12-01/ |archive-date=10 November 2025}}] In late 2024, a study limited only to those fatalities confirmed by at least three independent sources, and only from November 2023 to April 2024 (about 8,100 people), corroborated previous reports by the UN and news outlets that 70% of fatalities were women and children.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Faddoul|Shannon|Asghar|Boukari|2024|pp=25–26}}
| {{harvnb|Saric|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Thomas|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Associated Press|2023a}}
| {{harvnb|Sawafta|Fick|2023}}
| {{cite web |title=Nearly 25,000 Palestinians killed during 70-day Israeli genocide in Gaza |date=15 December 2023 |url=https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6035/Nearly-25,000-Palestinians-killed-during-70-day-Israeli-genocide-in-Gaza |publisher=[[Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor]] |access-date=25 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220142411/https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6035/Nearly-25,000-Palestinians-killed-during-70-day-Israeli-genocide-in-Gaza |url-status=live |archive-date=20 December 2023}}
| {{harvnb|Burga|2023}}
}}]{{#tag:ref|Per the [[Gaza Health Ministry]] and Government Information Office by 3 January 2024, over 22,300 people had been confirmed dead.[{{cite magazine |title=Health Ministry In Hamas-run Gaza Says War Death Toll Hits 22,313 |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/health-ministry-in-hamas-run-gaza-says-war-death-toll-hits-22-313-584e999b?refsec=topics_afp-news |access-date=3 January 2024 |magazine=[[Barron's]] |date=3 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103101715/https://www.barrons.com/news/health-ministry-in-hamas-run-gaza-says-war-death-toll-hits-22-313-584e999b?refsec=topics_afp-news |url-status=live |archive-date=3 January 2024}}]|group=lower-alpha}} As of 31 August 2024, data from the Ministry of Health (only for those of the dead who were fully identified, about 34,000 people at the time) showed that 60% of those killed were women, children, and the elderly.{{sfn|Graham-Harrison|2024b}} Eleven months later (31 July 2025) the number of those of the dead who were fully identified reached 60,199, 52.6% of whom were women, children, and the elderly.[{{cite web |url=https://data.techforpalestine.org/ar/updates/killed-in-gaza-update-2025-08-17/ |title=Killed in Gaza |website=[[Tech for Palestine]] |date=17 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251224002852/https://data.techforpalestine.org/ar/updates/killed-in-gaza-update-2025-08-17/ |archive-date=24 December 2025}}][{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unrwa-sitrep-184-15aug25/ |title=UNRWA Situation Report #184 |website=[[United Nations]] |date=15 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250817183430/https://www.un.org/unispal/document/unrwa-sitrep-184-15aug25/ |archive-date=17 August 2025}}]{{#tag:ref|47.4% were non-elderly men, 30.7% were children, 17.1% were non-elderly women, 3.0% were elderly men and 1.9% were elderly women.|group=lower-alpha}}
By 14 January 2024, over 23,900 Gazans had been confirmed killed.[{{cite news |last1=Nashed |first1=Mat |last2=Cordall |first2=Simon Speakman |date=14 January 2024 |title=Israel's 100 days of relentless war on Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/1/14/israels-100-days-of-relentless-war-on-gaza |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229143219/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/longform/2024/1/14/israels-100-days-of-relentless-war-on-gaza |archive-date=29 February 2024}}] By 10 May, deaths had topped 35,000, a third of them unidentified, with over 10,000 more estimated to be buried under the rubble.[{{cite web |date=29 October 2023 |title=Gaza: 3,195 Children Killed in Three Weeks Surpasses Annual Number of Children Killed in Conflict Zones Since 2019 |url=https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-3195-children-killed-three-weeks-surpasses-annual-number-children-killed-conflict-zones |website=[[Save the Children]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103044022/https://www.savethechildren.net/news/gaza-3195-children-killed-three-weeks-surpasses-annual-number-children-killed-conflict-zones |archive-date=3 November 2023}}]{{sfn|Qutami|2023|p=531}} Over 52,000 people had been wounded by December 2023,{{sfn|Thomas|2023}}{{sfn|Associated Press|2023a}} and by May 2024 this number had risen to over 77,700.{{sfn|United Nations in Palestine|2024}}[{{cite news |last1=Adler |first1=Nils |last2=Uras |first2=Umut |date=5 May 2024 |title=Israel's war on Gaza live: Netanyahu accused of 'sabotaging' truce talks – Gaza death toll reaches 34,683 as Israeli offensive continues |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/5/israels-war-on-gaza-live-neither-side-willing-to-budge-in-truce-talks?update=2880155 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505130049/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/5/israels-war-on-gaza-live-neither-side-willing-to-budge-in-truce-talks?update=2880155 |archive-date=5 May 2024}}]
As of 10 October 2025, the Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 67,194 Gazans were killed, which is between 3% and 4% of Gaza's total population.[{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/18/gaza-tracker |title=Gaza tracker |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=18 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251009155809/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/18/gaza-tracker |archive-date=9 October 2025}}]
''[[+972 Magazine]]'' and ''Local Call'' reported that the IDF decided early in the war to authorise killing up to 15 to 20 civilians per low-ranking militant, while for a senior militant killing more than 100 civilians was authorised. An intelligence officer said that Israel was not interested in killing Palestinian operatives in a military context only, but preferred to bomb them in their family homes, saying "It's much easier to bomb a family's home" where they are easier to target.[{{harvnb|Abraham|2024}}: "{{px2}}'It was very surprising for me that we were asked to bomb a house to kill a ground soldier, whose importance in the fighting was so low' said one source."] Another intelligence officer said that in targeting junior militants, Israel used only [[dumb bomb]]s, which can destroy entire buildings, to not "waste expensive bombs on unimportant people".{{sfn|Abraham|2024}}
In March 2024, ''[[Haaretz]]'' reported that some Israeli commanders had set up "kill zones" in which soldiers were [[Rules of engagement|commanded to kill]] anyone on sight, even if they were unarmed.{{sfn|Kubovich|2024a}}{{sfn|Sultany|2024|p=11}} According to an Israeli officer, "in practice, a terrorist is anyone the IDF has killed in the areas in which its forces operate."{{sfn|Kubovich|2024a}}{{#tag:ref|In the original Hebrew article the Haaretz reporter used the term "Extermination Zones" ({{lang|he|שטחי ההשמדה}}, {{lang|he-latn|Shtachei Hashmada}}){{sfn|Kubovich|2024b}} instead of the English version term "Kill Zone".|group=lower-alpha}}
In June, the [[Associated Press]] found that Israel's campaign in Gaza was killing entire bloodlines of Palestinians to a "degree never seen before".[{{cite news |last1=El Deeb |first1=Sara |date=17 June 2024 |title=Investigation identifies entire Palestinian families killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/investigation-identifies-entire-palestinian-families-killed-by-israeli-strikes-in-gaza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619102152/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/investigation-identifies-entire-palestinian-families-killed-by-israeli-strikes-in-gaza |archive-date=19 June 2024 |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=[[PBS News Hour]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}] According to testimony given to the Israeli [[Knesset]], Israeli soldiers driving [[IDF Caterpillar D9|armoured bulldozers]] had been ordered to "run over terrorists, dead and alive, in the hundreds".[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{cite news |date=24 October 2024 |title=Israeli soldiers returning from war struggle with trauma and suicide |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-825955 |access-date=28 October 2024 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241024174515/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-825955 |archive-date=24 October 2024}}
| {{harvnb|Cook|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Ebrahim|2024}}
| {{Cite news |date=24 October 2024 |title=Not the Onion: CNN highlights 'suffering' of Israeli army bulldozer driver who ran over so many people in Gaza it made him turn vegetarian |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-soldier-can-no-longer-eat-meat-after-killing-gaza |access-date=28 October 2024 |work=[[The New Arab]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241102160153/https://www.newarab.com/news/israeli-soldier-can-no-longer-eat-meat-after-killing-gaza |archive-date=2 November 2024}}
}}]
[[File:Al-Tabieen school massacre 05.jpg|thumb|Bags of burned, dismembered limbs from the 10 August 2024 [[Al-Tabaeen school attack|Israeli airstrike on the Al-Tabaeen School]], which was hosting [[Internally displaced person|displaced]] sheltering Palestinians.|286x286px]]
The proportion of women and children among the dead is disputed,[{{Cite news |last1=Horton |first1=Jake |last2=Sardarizadeh |first2=Shayan |last3=Durbin |first3=Adam |date=16 May 2024 |title=Gaza war: Why is the UN citing lower death toll for women and children? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-69014893 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711140750/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-69014893 |archive-date=11 July 2024 |access-date=12 July 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}][{{Cite web |last=Ioanes |first=Ellen |date=17 May 2024 |title=The controversy over Gaza's death toll, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2024/5/17/24159263/gaza-deaths-israel-hamas-hospital-ministry-health |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625225820/https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2024/5/17/24159263/gaza-deaths-israel-hamas-hospital-ministry-health |archive-date=25 June 2024 |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]}}] but the names, gender, and age of 60,000+ of the victims are known and published.[{{cite web |url=https://data.techforpalestine.org/docs/killed-in-gaza/ |title=Killed in Gaza |website=[[Tech for Palestine]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231024151/https://data.techforpalestine.org/docs/killed-in-gaza/ |archive-date=31 December 2025}}] On 7 May 2024, total deaths quoted by the UN were 34,735, of which 24,686 are fully identified: 52% women and children, 8% elderly of all genders, and 40% men.[{{cite news |last=Zerrouky |first=Madjid |date=21 September 2024 |title=Gaza's Health Ministry reveals names of several thousand dead, over 11,355 of them are minors |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/09/21/gaza-s-health-ministry-reveals-names-of-several-thousand-dead-over-11-355-of-them-are-minors_6726814_4.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926222850/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/09/21/gaza-s-health-ministry-reveals-names-of-several-thousand-dead-over-11-355-of-them-are-minors_6726814_4.html |archive-date=26 September 2024 |access-date=23 September 2024 |work=[[Le Monde]]}}]{{sfn|Graham-Harrison|2024b}}[{{Cite news |date=31 August 2024 |title=Health official says polio vaccine campaign begins in war-torn Gaza |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240831-health-official-says-polio-vaccine-campaign-begins-in-war-torn-gaza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923003419/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240831-health-official-says-polio-vaccine-campaign-begins-in-war-torn-gaza |archive-date=23 September 2024 |access-date=23 September 2024 |work=[[France 24]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}] A year later (31 July 2025), per the Gaza Ministry of Health, the number of fatalities identified by name reached 60,199: 28,728 (48%) were women and children, 2,928 (5%) were elderly of all genders (defined as those aged 65 or older), and 28,543 (47%) were men. A minimum of 18,457 children had been killed since October 2023.[{{Cite news |last=Saab |first=Sheren Falah |title=Entire Families Were Crushed in Gaza by Israeli Airstrikes. Not Even Memories Remain |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=5 December 2024 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2024-12-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/entire-families-crushed-in-gaza-by-israeli-airstrikes-not-even-memories-remain/00000193-92bf-dfe8-a5db-fbff98170000 |access-date=12 December 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241206080712/https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/2024-12-05/ty-article-magazine/.premium/entire-families-crushed-in-gaza-by-israeli-airstrikes-not-even-memories-remain/00000193-92bf-dfe8-a5db-fbff98170000 |archive-date=6 December 2024}}] Data collection has become increasingly difficult for the Gaza Health Ministry due to the destruction of infrastructure.[{{Cite news |last=van der Merwe |first=Ben |date=4 April 2024 |title=Israel-Hamas war: Gaza's morgue network has effectively collapsed – how are they recording their dead? |url=https://news.sky.com/story/israel-hamas-war-health-system-collapse-in-gaza-leaves-authorities-struggling-to-count-the-dead-13107279 |access-date=26 July 2024 |work=[[Sky News]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240424190142/https://news.sky.com/story/israel-hamas-war-health-system-collapse-in-gaza-leaves-authorities-struggling-to-count-the-dead-13107279 |archive-date=24 April 2024}}] Professor Mike Spagat found an urgent need for a transparent methodology to reconcile its top-line death numbers—34,535 as of 30 April 2024—with its detailed breakdowns, including only those of the dead who were fully identified, summing to 24,653 on the same date.[{{cite web | url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/160545 | title=Gaza death toll surges to 62,192 as Israel continues the genocide | website=Wafa | date=21 August 2025 }}] The ministry's figures for the total number killed have been contested by Israeli authorities but accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and the [[World Health Organization]].[{{cite news |last1=Graham-Harrison |first1=Emma |last2=Abraham |first2=Yuval |date=21 August 2025 |title=Revealed: Israeli military's own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/aug/21/revealed-israeli-militarys-own-data-indicates-civilian-death-rate-of-83-in-gaza-war |access-date=22 August 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250821135825/https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/aug/21/revealed-israeli-militarys-own-data-indicates-civilian-death-rate-of-83-in-gaza-war |archive-date=21 August 2025}}] The IDF denied this, saying the figures were inaccurate and inconsistent with its data.[{{cite news |title=IDF denies report claiming that its own database found that vast majority of Gaza dead were civilians |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-denies-report-claiming-that-its-own-database-found-that-vast-majority-of-gaza-dead-were-civilians/ |access-date=6 November 2025 |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |date=21 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251008091647/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-denies-report-claiming-that-its-own-database-found-that-vast-majority-of-gaza-dead-were-civilians/ |archive-date=8 October 2025}}]
A 2025 paper on the Gaza war estimated 64,260 deaths from traumatic injury between October 2023 and 30 June 2024, and likely exceeding 70,000 by October 2024, with 59.1% being women, children and the elderly. It concluded that the GHM undercounted trauma-related deaths by 41% in its report, and also noted that its findings "underestimate the full impact of the military operation in Gaza, as they do not account for non-trauma-related deaths resulting from health service disruption, food insecurity, and inadequate water and sanitation."{{sfn|Jamaluddine|Abukmail|Aly|Campbell|2025}} A comparable estimate for traumatic injury deaths was around 80,000 for January 2025.{{sfn|Bloxham|2025|p=23}} A February study in ''[[The Lancet]]'' estimated that life expectancy in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and September 2024 decreased by 34.9 years, excluding indirect deaths. The study also used census and registration data to assess the reliability of the Gaza Health Ministry's death count, and found no substantial errors.{{sfn|Guillot|Draidi|Cetorelli|Monteiro Da Silva|2025|pp=478–485}}
In May 2025, finance minister [[Bezalel Smotrich]] claimed that Israel was targeting Hamas's civilian workers, saying, "We're eliminating ministers, bureaucrats, money handlers—everyone who holds up Hamas's civilian rule."{{sfn|Shpigel|2025}} Killing civilian members of Hamas is in itself illegal.{{sfn|Jamshidi|2024b|p=}}{{page needed|date=October 2025}}
Starting in June 2025, IDF soldiers said they were ordered to [[2025 Gaza Strip aid distribution killings|shoot at]] crowds of Palestinians near [[Gaza Humanitarian Foundation]] aid sites,[{{cite news|last1=Hasson |first1=Nir |last2=Kubovich |first2=Yaniv |last3=Peleg |first3=Bar |date=27 June 2025 |title='It's a Killing Field': IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-ordered-to-shoot-deliberately-at-unarmed-gazans-waiting-for-humanitarian-aid/00000197-ad8e-de01-a39f-ffbe33780000 |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=14 July 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250714035002/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-ordered-to-shoot-deliberately-at-unarmed-gazans-waiting-for-humanitarian-aid/00000197-ad8e-de01-a39f-ffbe33780000 |archive-date=14 July 2025}}] killing over 1,000 people.[{{cite news |date=23 July 2025 |title=Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, the U.N. says |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5477365/israel-gaza-aid-casualties |work=[[NPR]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=30 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729010824/https://www.npr.org/2025/07/23/nx-s1-5477365/israel-gaza-aid-casualties |archive-date=29 July 2025}}] Amnesty International alleged Israel was trying to restrict aid to starve and inflict genocide upon the Palestinians.[{{cite web |date=3 July 2025 |title=Gaza: Evidence points to Israel's continued use of starvation to inflict genocide against Palestinians |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/gaza-evidence-points-to-israels-continued-use-of-starvation-to-inflict-genocide-against-palestinians/ |website=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=14 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704213128/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/gaza-evidence-points-to-israels-continued-use-of-starvation-to-inflict-genocide-against-palestinians/ |archive-date=4 July 2025}}]
In November 2025, a study by the [[Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research]] estimated that the total number of violent deaths in Gaza was between 100,000 and 126,000, of which 27% were children under 15 years old, and 24% women.[{{Cite web |date=25 November 2025 |title=Gaza: study reveals unprecedented losses of life and life expectancy |url=https://www.mpg.de/25778228/1125-defo-gaza-study-reveals-unprecedented-losses-of-life-and-life-expectancy-154642-x |access-date=2 December 2025 |website=[[Max-Planck-Gesellschaft]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251222030059/https://www.mpg.de/25778228/1125-defo-gaza-study-reveals-unprecedented-losses-of-life-and-life-expectancy-154642-x |archive-date=22 December 2025}}][{{Cite news |last=Endt |first=Christian |date=24 November 2025 |title=Kriegstote im Gazastreifen: Mehr als 100.000 Tote im Gazakrieg |trans-title=War deaths in the Gaza Strip: More than 100,000 dead in the Gaza war |url=https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2025-11/kriegstote-gazastreifen-opferzahlen-schaetzung |access-date=21 December 2025 |work=[[Die Zeit]] |language=de-DE |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251212153644/https://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2025-11/kriegstote-gazastreifen-opferzahlen-schaetzung |archive-date=12 December 2025}}][{{Cite news |last=Hauenstein |first=Hanno |date=1 December 2025 |title=Max-Planck-Institut zählt 126.000 Gaza-Tote: Was heißt das für den Genozid? |trans-title=Max Planck Institute counts 126,000 Gaza dead: What does that mean for the genocide? |url=https://www.freitag.de/autoren/hanno-hauenstein/max-planck-institut-zaehlt-126-000-gaza-tote-was-heisst-das-fuer-den-genozid |access-date=2 December 2025 |work=[[Der Freitag]] |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251210014016/https://www.freitag.de/autoren/hanno-hauenstein/max-planck-institut-zaehlt-126-000-gaza-tote-was-heisst-das-fuer-den-genozid |archive-date=10 December 2025}}]
=== Indirect deaths ===
[[File:Mother cries for her 4-year-old daughter, who lost her life due to malnutrition and lack of treatment due to the war on Gaza, Gaza Strip.jpg|thumb|Mother cries for her 4-year-old daughter, who died due to [[malnutrition]] and lack of treatment]]
Rasha Khatib, [[Martin McKee]], and [[Salim Yusuf]] published an estimate of the number of deaths, directly or indirectly caused by the conflict, that as of July 2024 had already occurred or would occur in the coming months and years. Indirect Palestinian deaths from disease are expected to be much higher due to the intensity of the conflict, destruction of healthcare infrastructure, lack of food, water, shelter, and safe places for civilians to flee, and reduction in [[UNRWA]] funding. They estimated that the total conflict-related deaths in Gaza will likely be four to 16 times higher than the reported death toll. By multiplying the reported deaths by five, they argued that "186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza".[{{harvnb|Khatib|McKee|Yusuf|2024}}: "Armed conflicts have indirect health implications beyond the direct harm from violence. Even if the conflict ends immediately, there will continue to be many indirect deaths in the coming months and years from causes such as reproductive, communicable, and non-communicable diseases. The total death toll is expected to be large given the intensity of this conflict; destroyed health-care infrastructure; severe shortages of food, water, and shelter; the population's inability to flee to safe places; and the loss of funding to UNRWA, one of the very few humanitarian organisations still active in the Gaza Strip. In recent conflicts, such indirect deaths range from three to 15 times the number of direct deaths. Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186,000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza. Using the 2022 Gaza Strip population estimate of 2,375,259, this would translate to 7.9% of the total population in the Gaza Strip."] Spagat wrote that their estimate "lacks a solid foundation and is implausible",[{{cite web |last=Spagat |first=Mike |date=10 July 2024 |title=A critical analysis of The Lancet's letter "Counting the Dead in Gaza: Difficult but Essential". Professor Mike Spagat reviews the claim the total Gaza death toll may reach upwards of 186,000 |url=https://aoav.org.uk/2024/a-critical-analysis-of-the-lancets-letter-counting-the-dead-in-gaza-difficult-but-essential-professor-mike-spagat-reviews-the-claim-the-total-gaza-death-toll-may-reach-upwards-of-186000/ |access-date=10 July 2024 |website=Action On Armed Violence |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710190128/https://aoav.org.uk/2024/a-critical-analysis-of-the-lancets-letter-counting-the-dead-in-gaza-difficult-but-essential-professor-mike-spagat-reviews-the-claim-the-total-gaza-death-toll-may-reach-upwards-of-186000/ |archive-date=10 July 2024}}][{{cite news |last=Bigg |first=Matthew Mpoke |date=11 July 2024 |title=Fighting Isn't the Only Killer of Gazans Amid the War, Researchers Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/world/middleeast/gaza-war-death-toll-lancet.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=11 July 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240712123712/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/world/middleeast/gaza-war-death-toll-lancet.html%20 |archive-date=12 July 2024}}] but it was "fair to call attention to the fact that not all of the deaths are going to be direct violent ones", and has called the death toll in Gaza "staggeringly high".[{{harvnb|Bloxham|2025|pp=23–24}}: "When considering the total 'excess mortality,' we need to add the Palestinians who have died because of the blockade in combination with the IDF's destruction of health and sanitation and food infrastructure. As public health experts noted, in many wars, 'most deaths' are 'due to the indirect [sic] impacts of war: malnutrition, communicable disease, exacerbations of noncommunicable disease, [and] maternal and infant disorders.'117 'Indirect' would be the wrong word for this conflict given the nature of Israeli policies, including the systematic obstruction of supplies into Gaza."]
An October 2024 letter by US healthcare workers who had served in Gaza since 7 October 2023 tried to estimate the number of Gazans who had died of starvation based on publicly available IPC reports.[{{cite web |title=USA Letter |date=2 October 2024 |url=https://www.gazahealthcareletters.org/usa-letter-oct-2-2024 |access-date=21 October 2024 |website=Gaza Healthcare Letters |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009234500/https://www.gazahealthcareletters.org/usa-letter-oct-2-2024 |archive-date=9 October 2024}}] It said the most conservative estimate was that at least 62,413 people in Gaza had died from starvation, most of them young children; this estimate was based on the assumption that catastrophic (level 5) food insecurity results in a death rate of at least 2 deaths per 10,000 people per day.{{#tag:ref|Per the IPC manual, the starvation death rate does not necessarily have to be that high (does not have to be at least 2 deaths per 10,000 people per day) to declare catastrophic (level 5) food insecurity. However, it does need to be that high to declare famine.|group=lower-alpha}} The physicians also estimated that at least 5,000 people had died from lack of access to care for chronic diseases.[{{cite news |last=Hurwitz |first=Sophie |date=8 October 2024 |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/us-israel-funding-gaza-palestine-deaths-october-100000-17-billion/ |title=Report: In One Year, More Than 100,000 Deaths in Gaza—Aided by $17.9 Billion From the US |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |access-date=17 October 2024 |quote=Brown University's Costs of War Project calculated "the money that's spent on war, and the toll on human lives" after a year of war in Gaza. The numbers are staggering. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010053644/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/10/us-israel-funding-gaza-palestine-deaths-october-100000-17-billion/ |archive-date=10 October 2024}}][{{harvnb|Stamatopoulou-Robbins|2024}}: "In addition to killing people directly through traumatic injuries, wars cause "indirect deaths" by destroying, damaging, or causing deterioration of economic, social, psychological and health conditions. Most expansively, this report describes the causal pathways that can be expected to lead to far larger numbers of indirect deaths. These deaths result from diseases and other population-level health effects that stem from war's destruction of public infrastructure and livelihood sources, reduced access to water and sanitation, environmental damage, and other such factors. This report builds on a foundation of previous Costs of War research for its framework and methodology in covering the most significant chains of impact, or causal pathways, to indirect war deaths in Gaza and the West Bank. Unlike in combat, these deaths do not necessarily occur immediately or in the close aftermath of the battles which many observers focus on. While it will take years to assess the full extent of these population-level health effects, they will inevitably lead to far higher numbers of deaths than direct violence."][{{cite web |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66e083452b3cbf4bbd719aa2/t/66fcd754b472610b6335d66f/1727846228615/Appendix+20241002.pdf |title=Appendix to letter of October 2, 2024 re: American physicians observations from the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023 |author= |date=2 October 2024 |website=Gaza Healthcare Letters |access-date=17 October 2024 |quote=These are the most conservative estimates of the death toll that can be made with the given available data as of September 30, 2024. It is highly likely that the real number of deaths in Gaza from this conflict is far higher than this most conservative estimate. Without an immediate ceasefire the death toll will only continue to mount, especially among young children. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007173405/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/66e083452b3cbf4bbd719aa2/t/66fcd754b472610b6335d66f/1727846228615/Appendix+20241002.pdf |archive-date=7 October 2024}}] The indirect death estimates in two studies reviewed by ''The Economist'' implied that the life expectancy in Gaza has fallen by 35 years, rivalling the [[Rwandan genocide]] in absolute terms.[{{cite news |date=6 August 2025 |title=How much of Gaza is left standing? |url=https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2025/08/06/how-much-of-gaza-is-left-standing |access-date=8 August 2025 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250807165501/https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2025/08/06/how-much-of-gaza-is-left-standing |archive-date=7 August 2025}}][{{cite news |date=8 August 2025 |title=How much of Gaza is left standing? True toll may be even greater than official reports suggest |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/how-much-of-gaza-is-left-standing-true-toll-may-be-even-greater-than-official-reports-suggest-20250808-p5mlhn.html |access-date=8 August 2025 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250808060545/https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/how-much-of-gaza-is-left-standing-true-toll-may-be-even-greater-than-official-reports-suggest-20250808-p5mlhn.html |archive-date=8 August 2025}}]
=== Starvation and blockade ===
{{main|Gaza Strip famine|Blockade of the Gaza Strip}}
{{#invoke:Multiple image|
| perrow = 1/2/2
| total_width = 300
| image1 = A 4-year-old Palestinian girl, lost her life due to malnutrition and lack of treatment due to the war on Gaza.jpg
| image2 = Displaced Palestinians receive food from charitable Tekiya during Ramadan in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip.jpg
| image3 = Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip.jpg
| footer_align = center
| footer = '''Clockwise from top''': {{startflatlist}}
* A four-year-old Palestinian girl who died due to [[malnutrition]] and lack of treatment
* Displaced Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip
* Displaced Palestinians receive food from charitable Tekiya during Ramadan in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip
{{endflatlist}}
}}
In February 2024, [[Human Rights Watch]] and [[Amnesty International]] both released statements declaring Israel had failed to comply with the ICJ's 26 January ruling to prevent genocide by [[Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)|blocking aid]] from entering Gaza.[{{cite news |date=26 February 2024 |title=Has Israel complied with ICJ order in Gaza genocide case? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/has-israel-complied-with-icj-order-in-gaza-genocide-case |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305002212/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/26/has-israel-complied-with-icj-order-in-gaza-genocide-case |archive-date=5 March 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}] A Refugees International report found that Israel had "consistently and groundlessly impeded aid operations within Gaza".{{sfn|Johnson|2024b}} The historian Melanie Tanielian argues that starvation and blockade should be foregrounded as methods of genocide alongside mass bombing.{{sfn|Tanielian|2024|pp=3–4}} In an April report, [[B'Tselem]] called the unfolding famine "the product of a deliberate and conscious Israeli policy".{{sfn|Sultany|2024|p=7}}[{{cite report |url=https://www.btselem.org/publications/202404_manufacturing_famine |title=Manufacturing Famine: Israel is Committing the War Crime of Starvation in the Gaza Strip |date=April 2024 |publisher=[[B'Tselem]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240719222458/https://www.btselem.org/publications/202404_manufacturing_famine |archive-date=19 July 2024}}]
In October 2023, the [[World Food Program]] warned of Gaza's dwindling food supply,{{sfn|Tanielian|2024|pp=6–7}} and in December, alongside the UN, it reported that more than half of Gaza's population was "starving", fewer than one in ten were eating every day, and 48% were suffering "extreme hunger".[{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Namita |date=10 December 2023 |title=UN says half of Gaza's population is now starving |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-war-palestinians-starving-un-wfp-b2461488.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119132024/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-gaza-war-palestinians-starving-un-wfp-b2461488.html |archive-date=19 January 2024 |access-date=13 December 2023 |work=[[The Independent]]}}][{{cite news |last1=Siddiqui |first1=Usaid |last2=Pietromarchi |first2=Virginia |last3=Quillen |first3=Stephen |date=10 December 2023 |title=Israel-Hamas war updates: Fierce battles rage in southern and northern Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/10/israel-hamas-war-live-no-safe-place-in-gaza-as-severe-hunger-spreads |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226131329/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/12/10/israel-hamas-war-live-no-safe-place-in-gaza-as-severe-hunger-spreads |archive-date=26 February 2024 |access-date=13 December 2023 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}][{{cite news |last=Ebrahim |first=Nadeen |date=5 December 2023 |title='It's chaos': Starving Gazans dig for food, supplies under the rubble |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/middleeast/gaza-bakery-hunger-israel-hamas-war-intl/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240116152114/https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/05/middleeast/gaza-bakery-hunger-israel-hamas-war-intl/index.html |archive-date=16 January 2024 |access-date=13 December 2023 |work=[[CNN]]}}] Palestinian Foreign Minister [[Riyad al-Maliki]] referred to "Israel's deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war against the people it occupied"; an Israeli official called the charge "blood-libellous" and "delusional".[{{cite news |last=Tétrault-Farber |first=Gabrielle |date=13 December 2023 |title=Palestinian minister accuses Israel of starving Gazans; Israel says charge 'obscene' |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/palestinian-foreign-minister-accuses-israel-deliberately-starving-gazans-2023-12-12/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228113139/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/palestinian-foreign-minister-accuses-israel-deliberately-starving-gazans-2023-12-12/ |archive-date=28 February 2024 |access-date=13 December 2023 |work=[[Reuters]]}}] In December 2023, Human Rights Watch found that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war by deliberately denying access to food and water.[{{cite web |date=18 December 2023 |title=Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307221127/https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/18/israel-starvation-used-weapon-war-gaza |archive-date=7 March 2024 |access-date=1 January 2024 |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]}}] In January 2024, UN experts accused Israel of "destroying Gaza's food system and using food as a weapon against the Palestinian people".[{{cite web |date=16 January 2024 |title=Over one hundred days into the war, Israel destroying Gaza's food system and weaponising food, say UN human rights experts |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/01/over-one-hundred-days-war-israel-destroying-gazas-food-system-and |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226103315/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/01/over-one-hundred-days-war-israel-destroying-gazas-food-system-and |archive-date=26 February 2024 |access-date=26 January 2024 |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |publisher=[[United Nations]]}}] In February 2024, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich personally blocked US-funded shipments of flour from entering Gaza, in violation of promises Israel had made to the US government.[{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/finance-minister-blocks-flour-shipments-from-reaching-gaza/ |title=Smotrich blocks flour shipments from reaching Gaza, in breach of Israeli pledge to US |newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]] |date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319130727/https://www.timesofisrael.com/finance-minister-blocks-flour-shipments-from-reaching-gaza/ |archive-date=19 March 2024}}]
In early 2024, the [[United Nations special rapporteur]] on the right to food [[Michael Fakhri]] said that Israel is "culpable" of genocide because "Israel has announced its intention to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part, simply for being Palestinian" and because Israel was denying food to Palestinians by halting humanitarian aid and "intentionally" destroying small-scale fishing vessels, greenhouses and orchards in Gaza ... We have never seen a civilian population made to go so hungry so quickly and so completely, that is the consensus among starvation experts. Israel is not just targeting civilians, it is trying to damn the future of the Palestinian people by harming their children.[{{cite news |last1=Lakhani |first1=Nina |date=27 February 2024 |title=Israel is deliberately starving Palestinians, UN rights expert says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/un-israel-food-starvation-palestinians-war-crime-genocide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228041844/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/27/un-israel-food-starvation-palestinians-war-crime-genocide |archive-date=28 February 2024 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}]
After the ICJ ruling, the number of aid trucks Israel allowed into Gaza dropped by 40%.[{{cite news |last=Marsi |first=Federica |date=27 February 2024 |title=How much aid has entered Gaza? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-biden-comments-turn-focus-back-to-gaza-ceasefire?update=2735412 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227143519/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/27/israels-war-on-gaza-live-biden-comments-turn-focus-back-to-gaza-ceasefire?update=2735412 |archive-date=27 February 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}] In the ICJ's March reaffirmation of provisional measures, the court highlighted the "unprecedented levels of food insecurity experienced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over recent weeks, as well as the increasing risks of epidemics",{{sfn|Sultany|2024|p=5}} acknowledging that since the Court's January order there had been a "lack of Israeli compliance" resulting in "the catastrophic living conditions" deteriorating further.{{sfn|Sultany|2024|p=6}}
In March 2024, 12 Israeli human rights organisations signed an open letter accusing Israel of failing to abide by the ICJ ruling to prevent genocide by facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.[{{cite news |last1=Beaumont |first1=Peter |last2=Burke |first2=Jason |date=11 March 2024 |title=Israeli human rights groups accuse country of failing to abide by ICJ's Gaza aid ruling |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/11/israeli-human-rights-groups-icj-gaza-aid-ruling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311204045/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/11/israeli-human-rights-groups-icj-gaza-aid-ruling |archive-date=11 March 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}]{{sfn|Johnson|2024a}} In April the UN special rapporteur on the right to health [[Tlaleng Mofokeng]] said Israel was "killing and causing irreparable harm against Palestinian civilians with its bombardments", adding, "They are also knowingly and intentionally imposing [[Gaza Strip famine|famine]]" and accusing Israel of "genocide".[{{cite web |date=22 April 2024 |title=Gaza health system 'completely obliterated': UN expert |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/04/gaza-health-system-completely-obliterated-un-expert |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518013104/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2024/04/gaza-health-system-completely-obliterated-un-expert |archive-date=18 May 2024 |access-date=4 May 2024 |website=Al-Monitor |language=en |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}]
In October 2024, Israel had reportedly adopted a modified version of the [[Israeli Generals' Plan|Generals' Plan]].[{{cite news |last=Krever |first=Mike |date=12 October 2024 |title=After mulling siege plan, Israel ramps up military push in northern Gaza |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/12/middleeast/israel-military-push-northern-gaza-intl/index.html |access-date=13 October 2024 |work=[[CNN]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241013142409/https://edition.cnn.com/2024/10/12/middleeast/israel-military-push-northern-gaza-intl/index.html |archive-date=13 October 2024}}][{{cite news |last=Bowen |first=Jeremy |date=12 October 2024 |title=Israeli attack on northern Gaza hints at retired general's 'surrender or starve' plan for war |url-status=live |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e82yy0wxno |access-date=12 October 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241012161158/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e82yy0wxno |archive-date=12 October 2024}}]{{#tag:ref|Some Israeli officials denied the plan had been adopted; however, an official familiar with the situation stated that some aspects of the plan were already in progress.[{{cite news |date=13 October 2024 |title=Netanyahu mulls plan to empty northern Gaza of civilians |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/13/netanyahu-mulls-plan-to-empty-northern-gaza-of-civilians-00183574 |work=[[Politico]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url-status=live |access-date=14 October 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241014042030/https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/13/netanyahu-mulls-plan-to-empty-northern-gaza-of-civilians-00183574 |archive-date=14 October 2024}}]|group=lower-alpha}} The proposed plan included orders for all residents of northern Gaza to leave within a week; a full siege on water, food, and fuel; and then the arrest or killing of all who remained.[{{Cite magazine|last1=Rapoport |first1=Meron |date=17 September 2024 |title=A plan to liquidate northern Gaza is gaining steam |url=https://www.972mag.com/northern-gaza-liquidation-scenario-eiland-rabi/ |magazine=[[+972 Magazine]] |access-date=14 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010022043/https://www.972mag.com/northern-gaza-liquidation-scenario-eiland-rabi/ |archive-date=10 October 2024}}][{{cite news |title=North Gaza siege: Netanyahu considers plan to starve out Hamas fighters |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-821301 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=23 September 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=14 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241002192315/https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-821301 |archive-date=2 October 2024}}] By mid-October 2024, Israel had ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza and prevented the entry of humanitarian aid for almost two weeks.[{{Cite news|last1=Rémy |first1=Jean-Philippe |date=9 October 2024 |title=Israel orders new evacuations in northern Gaza |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/10/09/israel-orders-new-evacuations-in-northern-gaza_6728770_4.html |work=[[Le Monde]] |access-date=14 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009142142/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/10/09/israel-orders-new-evacuations-in-northern-gaza_6728770_4.html |archive-date=9 October 2024}}][{{cite news |last1=Khadder |first1=Kareem |last2=Salman |first2=Abeer |last3=Kourdi |first3=Eyad |last4=Lockwood |first4=Pauline |date=11 October 2024 |title=UN says no food has entered northern Gaza since start of October, putting 1 million people at risk of starvation |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/middleeast/food-northern-gaza-starvation-un-intl |work=[[CNN]] |access-date=14 October 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241102164249/https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/11/middleeast/food-northern-gaza-starvation-un-intl |archive-date=2 November 2024}}] According to Stephen Devereux, avoidable deaths due to starvation as a result of Israeli policies "almost certainly constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity".[{{Cite web|last1=Devereux |first1=Stephen |date=5 November 2024 |doi=10.19088/IDS.2024.042 |title=Was There a Famine in Gaza in 2024? |publisher=[[Institute of Development Studies]] |url=https://www.ids.ac.uk/publications/was-there-a-famine-in-gaza-in-2024/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113004044/https://www.ids.ac.uk/publications/was-there-a-famine-in-gaza-in-2024/ |archive-date=13 November 2024}}]
On 21 November 2024, the International Criminal Court [[International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders|issued arrest warrants]] for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the former defence minister Yoav Gallant, asserting that the two "bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare".[{{cite news |last1=Borger |first1=Julian |author1-link=Julian Borger |last2=Roth |first2=Andrew |date=21 November 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/21/icc-issues-arrest-warrant-for-benjamin-netanyahu-israel |title=ICC issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged Gaza war crimes |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205002406/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/21/icc-issues-arrest-warrant-for-benjamin-netanyahu-israel |url-status=live |archive-date=5 December 2024}}][{{cite news |last1=Shotter |first1=James |last2=Ralph |first2=Oliver |date=21 November 2024 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/0b62f17a-97db-4817-90f8-f98adead79f0 |title=ICC issues arrest warrant for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu |work=[[Financial Times]] |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241121233145/https://www.ft.com/content/0b62f17a-97db-4817-90f8-f98adead79f0 |archive-date=21 November 2024}}][{{cite press release |last=El Abdallah |first=Fadi |date=21 November 2024 |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges |title=Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I rejects the State of Israel's challenges to jurisdiction and issues warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant |publisher=[[International Criminal Court]] |access-date=21 November 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241121130247/https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges |archive-date=21 November 2024 |url-status=live}}]
Israel lifted restrictions on aid into Gaza in January–February 2025 during the first stage of [[January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire|the January ceasefire]]. But on 2 March, Israel announced that all humanitarian aid would be blocked indefinitely unless Hamas agreed to alter the terms of the ceasefire deal, which Hamas refused to do.[{{cite news |last1=Rowlands |first1=Lyndal |last2=Adler |first2=Nils |last3=Quillem |first3=Stephen |last4=Motamedi |first4=Maziar |date=2 March 2025 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/3/2/live-israel-us-propose-terms-to-extend-gaza-ceasefire-hamas-yet-to-reply?update=3549776 |title=Updates: Israel blocks all aid into Gaza after first phase of truce ends |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305214841/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/3/2/live-israel-us-propose-terms-to-extend-gaza-ceasefire-hamas-yet-to-reply?update=3549776 |archive-date=5 March 2025}}][{{cite news |last=Doucet |first=Lyse |date=3 March 2025 |title=Gaza ceasefire in peril as Israel and Hamas hit impasse |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgz7p85mdgo |newspaper=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305215154/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgz7p85mdgo |url-status=live |archive-date=5 March 2025}}] Within four days, food supplies in Gaza had rapidly depleted while the price of food had more than doubled. Aid agencies such as [[Oxfam]] and [[UNICEF]] warned of mass starvation if the aid freeze continued. Oxfam policy lead Bushra Khalidi predicted "the total collapse of systems that sustain life".[{{cite news |last1=Frankel |first1=Julia |last2=Magdy |first2=Samy |date=5 March 2025 |title=Israel's cutoff of supplies to Gaza sends prices soaring as aid stockpiles dwindle |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-aid-cutoff-netanyahu-hunger-war-940ceea2c2b754d197a4f07c0cad86de |url-status=live |work=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305215422/https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-aid-cutoff-netanyahu-hunger-war-940ceea2c2b754d197a4f07c0cad86de |archive-date=5 March 2025}}] Lawyer Salah Abdel-Ati said Israel's actions were illegal under the [[Geneva Conventions]], which prohibits the destruction or withholding of essentials such as food in combat zones.[{{cite news |last=Jalal |first=Rasha |date=5 March 2025 |title=Palestinians in Gaza fear threat of famine over Israel's Ramadan aid blockade |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/gazas-palestinians-fear-famine-over-israels-ramadan-aid-block |url-status=live |work=[[The New Arab]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250305215633/https://www.newarab.com/news/gazas-palestinians-fear-famine-over-israels-ramadan-aid-block |archive-date=5 March 2025}}]
In May 2025, after blocking the import of all food, medicine, and fuel for two and a half months,[{{cite news |date=25 May 2025 |title=Aid trucks going into Gaza are a "drop in the bucket as to what's needed," WFP director says |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aid-trucks-gaza-world-food-program-israel-hamas/ |access-date=28 May 2025 |work=[[CBS News]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250528212442/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aid-trucks-gaza-world-food-program-israel-hamas/ |archive-date=28 May 2025}}] Netanyahu announced that Israel would allow "minimal humanitarian aid" into Gaza due to international pressure.{{sfn|Shpigel|2025}} Israel has proposed using private companies to distribute aid to the south of Gaza only. The plan is backed by the US, which has created the [[Gaza Humanitarian Foundation]] (GHF) to deliver aid without "Hamas stealing, looting or leveraging this assistance for its own ends". The United Nations aid chief [[Thomas Fletcher (diplomat)|Tom Fletcher]] criticised the plan, saying it "forces further displacement" and "makes aid conditional on political and military aims".{{sfn|Nichols|2025a}} Numerous Palestinians have been [[Rafah aid distribution killings|killed by Israeli forces]] while approaching GHF aid distribution points.[{{cite news |last1=Tondo |first1=Lorenzo |last2=Tantesh |first2=Malak |date=3 June 2025 |title=At least 27 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at food point, Gaza officials say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/03/palestinians-killed-israeli-fire-aid-point-gaza-officials-say |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250603172833/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/03/palestinians-killed-israeli-fire-aid-point-gaza-officials-say |archive-date=3 June 2025}}]
In August 2025, it was reported that Israel planned to surge aid to other parts of Gaza while cutting off all aid to Gaza City to force residents to evacuate while Israel takes over the city.[{{cite news |last1=Nicholls |first1=Catherine |last2=Edwards |first2=Christian |last3=Vales |first3=Leinz |last4=Vogt |first4=Adrienne |date=8 August 2025 |title=Israel's security cabinet approves plan to take over Gaza City |url=https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-gaza-war-netanyahu-08-08-25#cme2gkxi000183b6tmv28m1yi |work=[[CNN]] |access-date=8 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808143736/https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-gaza-war-netanyahu-08-08-25#cme2gkxi000183b6tmv28m1yi |archive-date=8 August 2025}}] As of August 2025, projections show the entire population is experiencing "high levels of acute food insecurity", with about 641,000 people experiencing [[Integrated Food Security Phase Classification|catastrophic levels]].{{sfn|IPC Report August|2025|p=1}} The IPC confirmed famine is taking place in the [[Gaza Governorate]].{{sfn|IPC Report August|2025|p=1}}[{{Cite news |last=Nichols |first=Michelle |date=22 August 2025 |title=Famine has struck Gaza, says global hunger monitor |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/famine-has-struck-gaza-says-global-hunger-monitor-2025-08-22/ |access-date=22 August 2025 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250822091426/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/famine-has-struck-gaza-says-global-hunger-monitor-2025-08-22/ |archive-date=22 August 2025}}]
Two weeks after the [[Gaza peace plan|October 2025 ceasefire]] came into effect, dozens of NGOs, including the [[Norwegian Refugee Council]] and [[Médecins Sans Frontières|Doctors Without Borders]], announced that Israel was arbitrarily blocking their shipments of aid to Gaza. World Health Organisation head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "the situation still remains catastrophic because what's entering is not enough" and "there is no dent in hunger because there is not enough food".[{{cite web |title=Mounting alarm as Israeli authorities reject NGO applications to transport life saving aid into Gaza |website=[[Norwegian Refugee Council]] |date=23 October 2025 |url=https://www.nrc.no/news/2025/october/mounting-alarm-as-israeli-authorities-reject-ngo-applications-to-transport-life-saving-aid-into-gaza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251108180034/https://www.nrc.no/news/2025/october/mounting-alarm-as-israeli-authorities-reject-ngo-applications-to-transport-life-saving-aid-into-gaza |archive-date=8 November 2025}}][{{cite news |first=Abby |last=Rogers |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] and [[Reuters]] |title=Hunger crisis in Gaza is catastrophic despite ceasefire, WHO chief says |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=23 October 2025 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/23/hunger-crisis-in-gaza-is-catastrophic-despite-ceasefire-who-chief-says |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251108180323/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/23/hunger-crisis-in-gaza-is-catastrophic-despite-ceasefire-who-chief-says |archive-date=8 November 2025}}]
By December 2025, the food situation improved, with famine and catastrophic food insecurity (level 5) no longer happening; but 27% of the population still experienced emergency-level food insecurity (level 4) and another 50% of the population experienced crisis-level food insecurity (level 3).[{{cite web |title=Humanitarian Situation Update #351 {{!}} Gaza Strip |website=occupied Palestinian territory {{!}} [[ReliefWeb]] |date=31 December 2025 |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/humanitarian-situation-update-351-gaza-strip |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231080950/https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/humanitarian-situation-update-351-gaza-strip |archive-date=31 December 2025}}][{{cite web |title=Gaza Strip: Acute Food Insecurity Situation for 16 October - 30 November 2025 and Projection for 1 December 2025 - 15 April 2026 |website=IPC - Integrated Food Security Phase Classification |date=19 December 2025 |url=https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1159820/?iso3=PSE |archive-url= |archive-date=}}] At the turn of the year, Israel's expulsion of Doctors Without Borders and several other humanitarian organizations from Gaza raised fears that the effects of malnutrition on the population would not be adequately treated or monitored; these organizations helped alleviate effects of famine/malnutrition by treating children with severe acute malnutrition.[{{cite web |title=Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Statement: Revoke planned international NGO ban, humanitarian leaders urge Israeli authorities |website=occupied Palestinian territory {{!}} [[ReliefWeb]] |date=1 January 2026 |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/inter-agency-standing-committee-iasc-statement-revoke-planned-international-ngo-ban-humanitarian-leaders-urge-israeli-authorities |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260102141932/https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/inter-agency-standing-committee-iasc-statement-revoke-planned-international-ngo-ban-humanitarian-leaders-urge-israeli-authorities |archive-date=2 January 2026}}][{{cite web |title=53 International NGOs warn Israel's recent registration measures will impede critical humanitarian action |website=Médecins du Monde |date=2 January 2026 |url=https://www.medecinsdumonde.org/en/news/53-international-ngos-warn-israels-recent-registration-measures-will-impede-critical-humanitarian-action/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260105221712/https://www.medecinsdumonde.org/en/news/53-international-ngos-warn-israels-recent-registration-measures-will-impede-critical-humanitarian-action/ |archive-date=5 January 2026}}]
=== Deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure ===
{{see also|Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip}}
{{#invoke:Multiple image|
| perrow = 1/2/2
| total_width = 300
| image1 = An aerial view showing destruction in Rafah after Israeli forces withdrawal and as the ceasefire took hold, Gaza Strip.jpg
| image2 = Damage in Gaza Strip during the October 2023.jpg
| image3 = Damage in Gaza Strip during the October 2023 - 29.jpg
| footer_align = center
| footer = '''Clockwise from top''': {{startflatlist}}
* An aerial view showing destruction in Rafah after Israeli forces withdrawal and as the ceasefire took hold, Gaza Strip
* Damage following an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal aera in Gaza City on 9 October 2023.
* Smoke and flames billow after Israeli forces struck a high-rise tower in Gaza City
{{endflatlist}}
}}
[[Mark Levene]] and Elyse Semerdjian locate the mass destruction of infrastructure within Israel's [[Dahiya doctrine]], implemented against Gaza since 2006, with Levene calling it [[urbicide]] and a tool of genocide.{{sfn|Levene|2024|pp=6–7}}{{sfn|Semerdjian|2024a|p=2}} In October 2024, [[Forensic Architecture]] concluded, "Israel's military campaign in Gaza is organised, systematic, and intended to destroy conditions of life and life-sustaining infrastructure".[{{cite web |title=A Cartography of Genocide: Israel's Conduct in Gaza Since October 2023 |date=7 October 2024 |url=https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/a-cartography-of-genocide |access-date=27 October 2024 |website=[[Forensic Architecture]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241028155707/https://forensic-architecture.org/investigation/a-cartography-of-genocide |archive-date=28 October 2024}}]
In July 2025, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that "about 70% of the structures in Gaza are either completely destroyed or severely damaged". Israel was reportedly paying contractors up to 5,000 shekels per building demolished.[{{Cite news |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=9 July 2025 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/09/bulldzoer-gaza-genocide-idf-meta |title=Seeking bulldozer drivers to demolish Gaza: how a genocide is being outsourced |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250711034859/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/09/bulldzoer-gaza-genocide-idf-meta |archive-date=11 July 2025}}] In February 2025 it was reported that at least 15 children had died of [[hypothermia]] over the winter due to Israel's destruction of housing and power facilities.[{{cite news |last1=Shurafa |first1=Wafaa |last2=Magdy |first2=Samy |date=26 February 2025 |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-children-cold-death-3085913b482dc5e45edd221ceccb17b3 |title=Medics say 6 babies have died from the cold in Gaza as displaced people shelter in tents and rubble |work=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250226190710/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-children-cold-death-3085913b482dc5e45edd221ceccb17b3 |archive-date=26 February 2025}}] In May 2025, Netanyahu said, "we are destroying more and more homes, and Gazans have nowhere to return to. The only inevitable outcome will be the wish of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip."{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=47}}
In a December 2024 report, Human Rights Watch accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza by targeting water and sanitation infrastructure and depriving Palestinians of adequate access to water. The report alleges that Israel intentionally damaged solar panels powering treatment plants, a reservoir, and warehouses, while blocking repair materials and fuel for generators, cutting electricity supplies, and attacking workers.[{{cite report |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/12/19/extermination-and-acts-genocide/israel-deliberately-depriving-palestinians-gaza |title=Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water |url-status=live |date=19 December 2024 |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |quote=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. |access-date=20 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209092600/https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/12/19/extermination-and-acts-genocide/israel-deliberately-depriving-palestinians-gaza |archive-date=9 February 2025}}][{{cite news |last=Berg |first=Raffi |date=19 December 2024 |title=HRW accuses Israel of acts of genocide over Gaza water access |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75wqr0k3dyo |access-date=21 December 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220111016/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75wqr0k3dyo |archive-date=20 December 2024 |url-status=live}}] According to B'Tselem, Israel has destroyed 84% of Gaza's water facilities,{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=35}} while in a report authored and published by the [[World Bank]], [[European Union]], and United Nations it was reported that 89% of Gaza's water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities had been destroyed or damaged.[{{cite report |date=February 2025 |title=Gaza and West Bank Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment |url=https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/133c3304e29086819c1119fe8e85366b-0280012025/original/Gaza-RDNA-final-med.pdf |publisher=[[World Bank]], [[European Union]], [[United Nations]] |page=37 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218220355/https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/133c3304e29086819c1119fe8e85366b-0280012025/original/Gaza-RDNA-final-med.pdf |archive-date=18 December 2025}}] UN Special Rapporteur [[Pedro Arrojo-Agudo]] called these attacks "an important part of a genocidal strategy."[{{cite news |last=Lakhani |first=Nina |date=11 November 2025 |title=Israelis attacked Palestinian water sources over 250 times in five years, data reveals |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/11/israel-attacks-palestine-water |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=11 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251231210533/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/11/israel-attacks-palestine-water |archive-date=31 December 2025}}]
Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, has been razed;[{{cite news |last1=Hasson |first1=Nir |last2=Michaeli |first2=Yarden |last3=Scharf |first3=Avi |date=12 June 2025 |title=Rafah Is Gone. Razed to the Ground. And It's Not the Only City Wiped Out by the Israeli Army |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/rafah-is-gone-razed-to-the-ground-its-not-the-only-city-decimated-by-the-israeli-army/00000197-6506-db73-aff7-7d4ee6bb0000 |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=13 September 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250612195429/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/rafah-is-gone-razed-to-the-ground-its-not-the-only-city-decimated-by-the-israeli-army/00000197-6506-db73-aff7-7d4ee6bb0000 |archive-date=12 June 2025}}] this has been mostly carried out by bulldozing and controlled demolitions of buildings, rather than by aerial bombardment.[{{cite news |last1=Granados |first1=Samuel |last2=Toler |first2=Aric |last3=Boxerman |first3=Aaron |title=Gazans Once Escaped to Rafah. Now Israel is Razing It |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=15 May 2025 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/15/world/middleeast/rafah-gaza-israel-damage.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250516081153/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/05/15/world/middleeast/rafah-gaza-israel-damage.html |archive-date=16 May 2025}}] In July 2025, the BBC reported that Israel had engaged in controlled demolitions of civilian infrastructure, potentially in violation of the Geneva Convention.[{{cite news |last1=Garman |first1=Benedict |last2=Murphy |first2=Matt |date=18 July 2025 |title=Israel levelling thousands of Gaza civilian buildings in controlled demolitions |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-33fccfbe-abcc-4af1-bdd2-632b2787cf59 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724002043/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-33fccfbe-abcc-4af1-bdd2-632b2787cf59 |archive-date=24 July 2025}}] The BBC reported an IDF spokesperson saying, "Hamas and other terrorist organizations conceal military assets in densely populated civilian areas. The IDF identifies and destroys terrorist infrastructure located, among other places, within buildings in these areas."[{{cite news |last1=Garman |first1=Benedict |last2=Metzler |first2=Barbara |date=12 November 2025 |title=Israel has destroyed more than 1,500 more buildings in Gaza since ceasefire |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mxylxw48yo |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251112014950/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mxylxw48yo |archive-date=12 November 2025}}] A spokesperson for the IDF said it was acting "in accordance with the ceasefire framework" as the demolitions occurred behind the [[Yellow Line (Gaza)|Yellow Line]], in the portion of Gaza under Israeli military control, which comprises 53% of Gaza.[{{cite web |last=Hardman |first=Nadia |date=14 November 2024 |title="Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged" |url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/14/hopeless-starving-and-besieged/israels-forced-displacement-palestinians-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328094008/https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/14/hopeless-starving-and-besieged/israels-forced-displacement-palestinians-gaza |archive-date=28 March 2025 |website=[[Human Rights Watch]] |language=en}}][{{cite news |last=Gritten |first=David |date=15 November 2024 |title=Gaza: HRW accuses Israel of war crime with displacements |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8ygyem84jo |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2025 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250323051248/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8ygyem84jo |archive-date=23 March 2025}}]{{sfn|Gómez-Ugarte|Chen|Acosta|Basellini|2025|p=13}} South Africa and others criticised the [[Gaza Strip evacuations]] as a key component of the genocide.{{sfn|Jamshidi|2024a|pp=14–16}} B'Tselem mentions statements by Israeli high-ranking officials that a "central objective of the war" was ethnic cleansing.{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=47}}
On 6 October 2024, Israel designated northern Gaza as a combat zone and ordered the civilian population to evacuate.[{{cite news |last=Rasgon |first=Adam |date=6 October 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/06/world/israel-iran-hezbollah-lebanon |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |title=A new Israeli map labels nearly all of northern Gaza 'new evacuation zones |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241006192404/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/10/06/world/israel-iran-hezbollah-lebanon |archive-date=6 October 2024}}][{{cite news |last=Keller-Lynn |first=Carrie |date=6 October 2024 |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-launches-new-offensive-in-northern-gaza-orders-mass-evacuation-786f2fff |title=Israel Launches New Offensive in Northern Gaza, Orders Mass Evacuation |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241006181906/https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-launches-new-offensive-in-northern-gaza-orders-mass-evacuation-786f2fff |archive-date=6 October 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}] Both Israeli military analysts and the [[Al Mezan Center for Human Rights]] alleged that this was the first stage of the "[[Israeli generals' plan|Generals' Plan]]", a policy proposed by the former Israeli general [[Giora Eiland]] to force Palestinians out of Gaza.[{{cite news |last=Monks |first=Kieron |date=6 October 2024 |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/world/evacuate-die-israel-generals-plan-north-gaza-3310922 |url-status=live |title='Evacuate or die': Israel moves towards 'general's plan' for north Gaza |newspaper=[[The i Paper|iNews]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241006134926/https://inews.co.uk/news/world/evacuate-die-israel-generals-plan-north-gaza-3310922 |archive-date=6 October 2024}}] The [[UN Human Rights Office]] said that Israel may have caused the "destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza's northernmost governorate through death and displacement."[{{cite web |date=20 October 2024 |title=UN Human Rights Office is concerned over the potential destruction of the Palestinian population in north Gaza |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/un-human-rights-office-concerned-over-potential-destruction-palestinian-population-north-gaza |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241021081250/https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/un-human-rights-office-concerned-over-potential-destruction-palestinian-population-north-gaza |archive-date=21 October 2024 |access-date=23 October 2024 |website=[[ReliefWeb]] |publisher=[[United Nations Human Rights Council]]}}]
During the [[January 2025 Gaza war ceasefire|January 2025 ceasefire]], displaced persons were able to return to their homes in northern Gaza. After Israel [[March 2025 Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip|broke the ceasefire]] in March 2025, displacement orders resumed. The [[2025 Gaza City offensive]] led to further evacuation orders for 1.2 million people.[{{cite web |title='No Place Under Heaven': Forced displacement in the Gaza Strip, 2023-2025 |url=https://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/202512_no_place_under_heaven_forced_displacement_in_the_gaza_strip_2023_2025 |publisher=[[B'Tselem]] |access-date=4 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251220061844/https://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/202512_no_place_under_heaven_forced_displacement_in_the_gaza_strip_2023_2025 |archive-date=20 December 2025 |date=19 December 2025 |url-status=live}}]
=== Attacks on healthcare ===
{{main|Attacks on health facilities during the Gaza war}}
{{#invoke:Multiple image|
| perrow = 1/1
| total_width = 300
| image1 = Destruction of UNRWA el-Sheikh Radwan health center, February 2024.jpg
| image2 = Palestinian Red Crescent Personnel inspect a destroyed ambulance in Deir el-Balah , Gaza Strip.jpg
| image3 =
| footer_align = center
| footer = '''Top to bottom''': {{startflatlist}}
* Destruction of UNRWA [[Sheikh Radwan|el-Sheikh Radwan]] health centre, February 2024
* Palestinian Red Crescent Personnel inspect a destroyed ambulance in Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip
{{endflatlist}}
}}
In November 2023 in ''[[The Lancet]]'' and in February 2024 in ''[[BMJ Global Health]]'', multiple doctors detailed how the targeting of Gazan health infrastructure and medical personnel, coupled with rhetoric used by Israeli politicians, amounts to genocide.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Khwaja|Bell|Hadley|Price|2023|p=1975}}
| {{harvnb|Hanbali|Kwong|Neilson|Smith|2024|p=e014942}}
| {{harvnb|Sathar|2023|pp=82–83}}
| {{harvnb|Sankar|2024}}
}}] Legal scholars have supported this assessment.{{sfn|Mahomed|2023|pp=77–79}}{{sfn|Sultany|2024|p=11}} [[Healthcare in the State of Palestine|Gaza's healthcare system]] faced humanitarian crises as a result of Israel's assault: hospitals began shutting down by 23 October as they ran out of fuel.[{{cite news |date=24 October 2023 |title=Gaza hospital generators to run out of fuel in 48 hours: Health Ministry |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/24/gaza-hospital-generators-to-run-out-of-fuel-in-48-hours-health-ministry |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024082858/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/24/gaza-hospital-generators-to-run-out-of-fuel-in-48-hours-health-ministry |archive-date=24 October 2023 |access-date=24 October 2023 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}] When hospitals lost power, multiple [[2023–2024 Gaza Strip preterm births|premature babies]] in [[Neonatal intensive care unit|NICUs]] died.[{{cite news |date=13 November 2023 |title=3 premature babies die at Al-Shifa Hospital: Doctor |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas/3-premature-babies-die-at-gazas-alshifa-hospital-doctor-says-104834155?id=104617602 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301023917/https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/israel-gaza-hamas/3-premature-babies-die-at-gazas-alshifa-hospital-doctor-says-104834155?id=104617602 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |access-date=18 November 2023 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}][{{cite news |last1=Magdy |first1=Samy |last2=Shurafa |first2=Wafaa |last3=Kullab |first3=Samya |date=12 November 2023 |title=Dwindling fuel supplies for Gaza's hospital generators put premature babies in incubators at risk |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dwindling-fuel-supplies-gazas-hospital-generators-put-premature-104211808 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023021534/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/dwindling-fuel-supplies-gazas-hospital-generators-put-premature-104211808 |archive-date=23 October 2023 |access-date=24 October 2023 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}]{{sfn|Soni|2023|p=80}} Israeli airstrikes have killed numerous medical staffers, and ambulances and health institutions have been destroyed.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Romo|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Debre|2023b}}
| {{harvnb|Picheta|Khadder|Rebane|Zabadne|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Baker|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Kekatos|Beaule|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Basu|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Moolla|Jacub|2024|p=e1691}}
| {{harvnb|Sultany|2024|p=11}}
}}] {{lang|fr|[[Médecins Sans Frontières]]}} reported that scores of ambulances and medical facilities were damaged or destroyed,[{{cite news |title=Gaza war inflicts catastrophic damage on infrastructure and economy |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-war-inflicts-catastrophic-damage-infrastructure-economy-2023-11-17/#:~:text=HOSPITALS%20AND%20SCHOOLS&text=OCHA%20said%2055%20ambulances%20in,of%20drugs%20and%20blood%20products. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20240303120357/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/gaza-war-inflicts-catastrophic-damage-infrastructure-economy-2023-11-17/#:~:text=HOSPITALS%20AND%20SCHOOLS&text=OCHA%20said%2055%20ambulances%20in,of%20drugs%20and%20blood%20products. |archive-date=3 March 2024 |access-date=18 November 2023 |work=[[Reuters]] |date=17 November 2023}}][{{cite news |last1=Riash |first1=Abed Abu |last2=Marsi |first2=Federica |date=12 October 2023 |title=Gaza medics say Israel targeting ambulances, health facilities |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/war-crime-gaza-medics-say-israel-targeting-ambulances-health-facilities |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022010523/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/war-crime-gaza-medics-say-israel-targeting-ambulances-health-facilities |archive-date=22 October 2023 |access-date=12 October 2023 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}] and that its own staff were killed.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Médecins Sans Frontières|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Médecins Sans Frontières|2024a}}
| {{harvnb|Médecins Sans Frontières|2024b}}
}}]{{sfn|Khan|Tinua|2024|pp=805–806}} The [[Gaza Health Ministry]] said the healthcare system had "totally collapsed".[{{Cite web |date=24 October 2023 |title=Healthcare system in Gaza has 'totally collapsed' |url=https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/24/10/2023/healthcare-system-in-gaza-has-totally-collapsed |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231025083517/https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/24/10/2023/healthcare-system-in-gaza-has-totally-collapsed |archive-date=25 October 2023 |access-date=24 October 2023 |work=The Peninsula Qatar}}] In April 2024, UN special rapporteur on the right to health [[Tlaleng Mofokeng]] said, "The destruction of healthcare facilities continues to catapult to proportions yet to be fully quantified."[{{cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Annie |last2=Osman |first2=Hoda |last3=Jallad |first3=Farah |date=25 February 2025 |title=More than 160 Gazan medics held in Israeli prisons amid reports of torture |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/25/more-than-160-gazan-medics-held-in-israeli-prisons-amid-reports-of-torture |access-date=28 February 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225182144/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/25/more-than-160-gazan-medics-held-in-israeli-prisons-amid-reports-of-torture |archive-date=25 February 2025}}]
=== Preventing births ===
In March 2025, a UN investigation concluded that Israel had committed genocidal acts in Gaza by systematically destroying its reproductive healthcare facilities while imposing a siege preventing necessary medications for deliveries, pregnancies, and [[Neonatal nursing|neonatal care]], causing "irreversible" harm to Palestinians' reproductive prospects in Gaza. The commission also found that Israeli forces intentionally destroyed Gaza's main [[IVF|in-vitro]] [[fertility clinic]], Al-Basma IVF Centre, which served 2,000 to 3,000 patients a month. Israel destroyed about 4,000 [[embryo]]s and 1,000 specimens of [[sperm]] and unfertilised [[Egg cell|eggs]] in the attack.[{{cite news |last1=Shubailat |first1=Nadine |last2=Alcini |first2=Camilla |date=24 April 2024 |title=Over 4,000 IVF embryos destroyed in 1 shelling at Gaza's largest fertility center, director says |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/4000-ivf-embryos-destroyed-1-shelling-gazas-largest/story?id=109350404 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=11 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506030400/https://abcnews.go.com/International/4000-ivf-embryos-destroyed-1-shelling-gazas-largest/story%3Fid%3D109350404 |archive-date=6 May 2024}}][{{cite news |last1=Salem |first1=Saleh |last2=Creidi |first2=Imad |last3=Mills |first3=Andrew |date=17 April 2024 |title=Gaza's IVF embryos destroyed by Israeli strike |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/5000-lives-one-shell-gazas-ivf-embryos-destroyed-by-israeli-strike-2024-04-17/ |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=11 May 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240417122745/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/5000-lives-one-shell-gazas-ivf-embryos-destroyed-by-israeli-strike-2024-04-17/ |archive-date=17 April 2024}}] No evidence that the building was used for military purposes was found. The commission concluded that the destruction of the clinic "was a measure intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza, which is a genocidal act".[{{harvnb|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"][{{cite news |date=13 March 2025 |title="Genocidal Acts": UN Slams Israel's Attacks On Gaza Reproductive Centres |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/genocidal-acts-un-slams-israels-attacks-on-gaza-reproductive-centres-7915048 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250314093302/https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/genocidal-acts-un-slams-israels-attacks-on-gaza-reproductive-centres-7915048 |archive-date=14 March 2025 |access-date=13 March 2025 |work=[[NDTV]] |language=en |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]}}][{{cite news |last=Le Poidevin |first=Olivia |date=13 March 2025 |title=UN experts accuse Israel of genocidal acts and sexual violence in Gaza |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-experts-accuse-israel-genocidal-acts-sexual-violence-gaza-2025-03-13/ |access-date=13 March 2025 |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250313082455/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-experts-accuse-israel-genocidal-acts-sexual-violence-gaza-2025-03-13/ |archive-date=13 March 2025}}] UN experts reported that they had found that Israel had systematically destroyed women's health care facilities and used sexual violence as a war strategy, thereby carrying out genocidal acts against Palestinians.[{{cite web |date=14 January 2026 |url=https://phr.org/our-work/resources/destroying-hope-for-the-future-reproductive-violence-in-gaza/ |title=Destroying Hope for the Future: Reproductive Violence in Gaza |access-date=14 January 2026 |website=[[Physicians for Human Rights]]}}]
=== Destruction of cultural, religious and educational sites ===
{{main|Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip}}
{{see also|Attacks on schools during the Gaza war|Israeli razing of cemeteries and necroviolence against Palestinians|Attacks on religious sites during the Israeli invasion of Gaza}}{{#invoke:Multiple image|
| perrow = 1/2/2
| total_width = 300
| image1 = A mosque destroyed in the Jabalia area of the Gaza Strip.jpg
| image2 = Damage in Gaza Strip during the October 2023 - 16.jpg
| image3 = غزة، مركز رشاد الشوا (1) غزة بعد الحرب 23-25.jpg
| footer_align = center
| footer = '''Clockwise from top''': {{startflatlist}}
* A mosque in Gaza destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, 20 February 2025.
* The wreckage of the [[Rashad Shawa Cultural Center]]
* A mosque in Khan Younis, 8 October 2023
{{endflatlist}}
}}
[[Amnesty International]] notes that "while the destruction of historical, cultural and religious property or heritage is not considered a prohibited act under the Genocide Convention, the ICJ has established that such destruction can provide evidence of intent to physically destroy the group when carried out deliberately."{{sfn|Amnesty International report|2024|p=32}} The [[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] has said that Israel's deliberate destruction of cemeteries in Gaza indicates genocidal intent because it enacts the "[[Historical negationism|erasure of a people's...historical presence]]".[{{cite web |date=29 December 2023 |title=Statement on Why We Call the Israeli Attack on Gaza Genocide |url=https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-why-we-call-the-israeli-attack-on-gaza-genocide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230154434/https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-why-we-call-the-israeli-attack-on-gaza-genocide |archive-date=30 December 2023 |access-date=23 September 2025 |website=[[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] |language=en}}]
Since 7 October 2023, the IDF has been accused of using excessive force against dozens of schools;[{{cite news |date=24 January 2024 |title=How Israel has destroyed Gaza's schools and universities |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/24/how-israel-has-destroyed-gazas-schools-and-universities |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206045355/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/24/how-israel-has-destroyed-gazas-schools-and-universities |archive-date=6 February 2024}}][{{cite web |date=19 October 2023 |title=Gaza: UN experts decry bombing of hospitals and schools as crimes against humanity, call for prevention of genocide |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/gaza-un-experts-decry-bombing-hospitals-and-schools-crimes-against-humanity |website=[[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240131100935/https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/gaza-un-experts-decry-bombing-hospitals-and-schools-crimes-against-humanity |archive-date=31 January 2024}}] theft;{{sfn|Kottasová|Salman|Alkhaldi|Bashir|2023}} desecration and mutilation of deceased Palestinians;[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{cite web |date=20 October 2023 |title=Damning evidence of war crimes as Israeli attacks wipe out entire families in Gaza |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza/ |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105011959/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/damning-evidence-of-war-crimes-as-israeli-attacks-wipe-out-entire-families-in-gaza/ |archive-date=5 November 2023}}
| {{harvnb|B'Tselem|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Gvaryahu|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Marsi|Mohamed|2024b}}
| {{harvnb|Bateman|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Sultany|2024|pp=11–12}}
| {{Cite news|date=19 June 2024 |title=Laws of war likely 'consistently violated' in Israeli strikes on Gaza: UN rights office |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1151196 |work=UN News |publisher=[[United Nations]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240703075536/https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/06/1151196 |archive-date=3 July 2024}}
}}] The targeting of cultural and educational sites have also been cited as genocidal acts, as has the use of [[white phosphorus]].{{#tag:ref|The use of white phosphorus against military targets located among civilians is contrary to [[Protocol on Incendiary Weapons|Protocol III]] of the [[Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons]], of which Israel is not a signatory.[{{cite news |date=13 October 2023 |title=Human Rights Watch says Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza, Lebanon |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/human-rights-watch-says-israel-used-white-phosphorous-gaza-lebanon-2023-10-12/ |access-date=17 October 2023 |archive-date=13 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231013003409/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/human-rights-watch-says-israel-used-white-phosphorous-gaza-lebanon-2023-10-12/ |url-status=live}}]|group=lower-alpha}}{{sfn|Üngör|2024|p=8}}
On 18 April 2024, UN experts in [[Geneva]] condemned Israel for its "[[scholasticide]]" in Gaza, finding that it had destroyed more than 80% of schools and killed 5,000 students, 261 teachers, and dozens of professors.[{{cite news |date=5 January 2025 |author=The New Arab Staff |title=Nearly 1,000 mosques in Gaza damaged, destroyed by Israel |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/nearly-1000-mosques-gaza-damaged-destroyed-israel |work=[[The New Arab]] |access-date=27 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250109003458/https://www.newarab.com/news/nearly-1000-mosques-gaza-damaged-destroyed-israel |archive-date=9 January 2025 |url-status=live |language=en-EN}}]
In June 2025, UN experts published a report saying Israel had committed the crime against humanity of [[Extermination (crime)|extermination]] for "killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites". According to the report, Israel has destroyed over 90% of educational buildings in Gaza.{{sfn|Murphy|2025}}
=== Serious bodily and mental harm, and sexual violence ===
{{main|Sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians during the Gaza war|Torture during the Gaza war|Effect of the Gaza war on children in the Gaza Strip|Women in the Gaza war}}
{{#invoke:Multiple image|
| perrow = 1/1
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| image1 = Yamen was injured in his leg during his sixth displacement in Jabalia refugee camp, and he was forced to flee while wounded.jpg
| image2 = A Palestinian refugee carries his injured grandchildren from the Israeli bombing of Nuseirat Camp, Gaza Strip.jpg
| image3 =
| footer_align = center
| footer = '''Top to bottom''': {{startflatlist}}
* Yamen was injured in his leg during his sixth displacement in Jabalia refugee camp, and he was forced to flee while wounded.
* A Palestinian refugee carries his injured grandchildren from the Israeli bombing of Nuseirat Camp, Gaza Strip
{{endflatlist}}
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}}
The number of injured since 7 October 2023 due to Israeli military actions is greater than 170,000,[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Moor|2025}}
| {{harvnb|Harghandiwal|2025|pp=1–20}}
| {{harvnb|Abodahab|Elsergany|2025|pp=1705–1710}}
| {{harvnb|Muthumani|2024|p=e000719}}
| {{harvnb|Sherwani|Stewart|Samad|2025|pp=1840–1845}}
| {{cite web |date=15 August 2025 |title=Percentage of Persons with Disabilities in Gaza Has Increased because of Excessive Use of Force by Israel, State of Palestine Tells Committee on Rights of Persons with Disabilities |website=[[United Nations]] |url=https://www.un.org/unispal/document/convention-personswithdisabilities-15aug25/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250919104851/https://www.un.org/unispal/document/convention-personswithdisabilities-15aug25/ |archive-date=19 September 2025|url-status=live}}
| {{cite web |date=9 July 2025 |title=Israel denying treatment to thousands of Gazans who lost limbs in Israeli attacks, almost 1,000 of them children |website=[[B'Tselem]] |url=https://www.btselem.org/20250709_israel_denying_thousands_of_amputees_in_gaza_including_children_proper_care |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250813203918/https://www.btselem.org/20250709_israel_denying_thousands_of_amputees_in_gaza_including_children_proper_care |archive-date=13 August 2025 |url-status=live}}
| {{harvnb|Shatali|Rashid|Lubbad|Potterton|2025|pp=219–225}}
| {{harvnb|Aftab|Yaqoob|Khan|Javed|2025|pp=226–227}}
}}] In the same period over 1,040 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank.[{{cite report |date=21 January 2026 |title=UNRWA Situation Report #200 on the Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem |url=https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-205-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem |publisher=[[UNRWA]] |archive-url= |archive-date=}}] Israel has been accused of indiscriminate [[Mass detentions in the Gaza war|mass detentions]][{{cite news |last1=Marsi |first1=Federica |last2=Mohamed |first2=Edna |date=14 March 2024 |title=Israeli forces detain 20 Palestinians in occupied West Bank |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/14/israels-war-on-gaza-live-rafah-attack-coming-soon-despite-pressure?update=2771884 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314135406/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/14/israels-war-on-gaza-live-rafah-attack-coming-soon-despite-pressure?update=2771884 |archive-date=14 March 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |url-status=live}}][{{cite report |url=https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g24/032/34/pdf/g2403234.pdf?token=7vgSXpmdnRsfIeetwu&fe=true |title=Written statement* submitted by Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man, a non-governmental organisation in special consultative status |author=[[Al-Haq]] |date=27 February 2024 |publisher=[[United Nations]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116143329/https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g24/032/34/pdf/g2403234.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2025 |url-status=dead}}] while prisoners said they were threatened with mutilation,[{{cite news |last1=Berger |first1=Miriam |last2=Harb |first2=Hajar |date=12 January 2024 |title=Gazan prisoners describe abuse at secretive Israeli detention sites |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/11/gaza-detainees-israel-prisons-hamas/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206234450/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/11/gaza-detainees-israel-prisons-hamas/ |archive-date=6 February 2024 |access-date=2 February 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |language=en-US |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}] death, arson, and rape,[{{cite news |last=Shawer |first=Mosab |date=10 January 2024 |title='Threatened with rape': Lama Khater recalls horrors while in Israeli jails |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/10/threatened-with-rape-lama-khater-recalls-horrors-while-in-israeli-jails |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127100046/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/10/threatened-with-rape-lama-khater-recalls-horrors-while-in-israeli-jails |archive-date=27 January 2024 |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |url-status=live}}] and torturing Palestinians detained without charges.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Masarwa|Osman|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Kottasová|Salman|Alkhaldi|Bashir|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Doucet|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Cordall|Pedrosa|2024}}
}}] By March 2024, an estimated 17,000 children were "[[wounded child, no surviving family|wounded children, no surviving family]]" (WCNSF), a new medical term.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Haidar|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Horn|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Ali|2024}}
| {{cite news |date=7 November 2023 |title=Gaza coins a new acronym: WCNSF – Wounded Child No Surviving Family |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231107-gaza-coins-a-new-acronym-wcnsf-wounded-child-no-surviving-family/ |work=[[Middle East Monitor]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110032222/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231107-gaza-coins-a-new-acronym-wcnsf-wounded-child-no-surviving-family/ |archive-date=10 November 2023 |url-status=live}}
| {{harvnb|O'Reilly|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Grim|2024}}
}}][{{cite web |date=11 September 2024 |title=The Genocidal Dimensions of Israel's Use of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) against Palestinians |url=https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/the-genocidal-dimensions-of-israel%E2%80%99s-use-of-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-(sgbv)-against-palestinians |access-date=17 December 2024 |website=[[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] |language=en |archive-date=30 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930203114/https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/the-genocidal-dimensions-of-israel%E2%80%99s-use-of-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-(sgbv)-against-palestinians |url-status=live}}]
As of 25 August 2024, the UN estimates that most of Gaza's 2.2 million people are confined to roughly {{convert|15|sqmi}}, causing a critical lack of basic services, like clean water, and diseases spreading widely, such as [[Hepatitis C]].[{{cite news |last=Clayton |first=Freddie |date=25 August 2024 |title=Gaza's 2.2 million people are confined to a humanitarian area smaller than Manhattan |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-humanitarian-zones-smaller-than-manhattan-rcna167056 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911101752/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/gaza-humanitarian-zones-smaller-than-manhattan-rcna167056 |archive-date=11 September 2024 |access-date=30 August 2024 |work=[[NBC News]]}}]
Amnesty International reported that the pattern of abuses inside Israeli prisons "underscores the systematic dehumanization and mental and physical abuse of Palestinians in Gaza and may also be taken into account with a view to inferring genocidal intent from pattern of conduct."{{sfn|Amnesty International report|2024|p=296}} According to the [[Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory|Independent International Commission of Inquiry]], gender-based and sexual violence were committed "to dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part."[{{harvnb|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."] According to a UN committee, the Gaza war has resulted in disabilities for more than 21,000 children as of September 2025.[{{Cite web |last=Joseph |first=Lesley |date=27 February 2025 |title=Israel's bombing of Gaza caused untold environmental damage − recovery will take effort and time |url=http://theconversation.com/israels-bombing-of-gaza-caused-untold-environmental-damage-recovery-will-take-effort-and-time-245311 |access-date=11 October 2025 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251114145154/https://theconversation.com/israels-bombing-of-gaza-caused-untold-environmental-damage-recovery-will-take-effort-and-time-245311 |archive-date=14 November 2025}}][{{Cite news |last1=Ahmed |first1=Kaamil |last2=Gayle |first2=Damien |last3=Mousa |first3=Aseel |date=29 March 2024 |title='Ecocide in Gaza': does scale of environmental destruction amount to a war crime? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/29/gaza-israel-palestinian-war-ecocide-environmental-destruction-pollution-rome-statute-war-crimes-aoe |access-date=11 October 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260101104242/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/29/gaza-israel-palestinian-war-ecocide-environmental-destruction-pollution-rome-statute-war-crimes-aoe |archive-date=1 January 2026}}][{{cite SSRN |last1=Abuawad |first1=Ahlam |last2=Griffiths |first2=Mark |last3=Edwards |first3=Graham |last4=Eftekhari |first4=Adan |last5=El-Ebweini |first5=Mohammed |last6=Al-Najar |first6=Husam |last7=Butmeh |first7=Abeer |last8=Abu Dayyeh |first8=Rasha |last9=Al-Shewy |first9=Mohamed |last10=Aker |first10=Amira |date=4 November 2024 |title=From Ecocide to Genocide: A Call to Action for Scientists Globally to Address the Destruction in Gaza |ssrn=5021472}}] Multiple commentators have argued that deliberate ecocide is a central component of Israel's genocide in Gaza.[{{Cite news |last=Monbiot |first=George |author-link=George Monbiot |date=27 September 2025 |title=Israel's gecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn't live here |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/27/israel-ecocide-gaza-bombs-agricultural-land-genocide |access-date=14 October 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250928200724/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/27/israel-ecocide-gaza-bombs-agricultural-land-genocide |archive-date=28 September 2025}}][{{Cite web |last=Hamouchene |first=Hamza |date=17 September 2025 |title=Ecocide, Imperialism and Palestine Liberation |url=https://www.tni.org/en/article/ecocide-imperialism-and-palestine-liberation |access-date=14 October 2025 |publisher=Transnational Institute |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250927053851/https://www.tni.org/en/article/ecocide-imperialism-and-palestine-liberation |archive-date=27 September 2025}}][{{Cite news |date=30 October 2024 |title=Ecocide: Israel's Deliberate and Systematic Environmental Destruction in Gaza – occupied Palestinian territory |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/ecocide-israels-deliberate-and-systematic-environmental-destruction-gaza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210033452/https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/ecocide-israels-deliberate-and-systematic-environmental-destruction-gaza |archive-date=10 February 2025 |access-date=14 October 2025 |work=[[ReliefWeb]] |language=en}}] Scholars have argued that the destruction of the environment sustaining a population including its water, land, and food systems constitutes a genocidal act, as it inflicts conditions of life calculated to destroy the group, in whole or in part.{{Genocide Convention Article 2}}[{{cite journal |last1=Eichler |first1=Lauren J. |title=Ecocide Is Genocide: Decolonizing the Definition of Genocide |journal=[[Genocide Studies and Prevention]] |date=4 September 2020 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=104–121 |issn=1911-0359 |doi=10.5038/1911-9933.14.2.1720 |doi-access=free}}][{{Cite journal |last=Campbell |first=Fiona |date=29 July 2025 |title=A destruction of the conditions of life: Report on Genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.hhrjournal.org/2025/07/29/a-destruction-of-the-conditions-for-life-report-on-genocide-in-gaza/ |access-date=12 October 2025 |journal=Health and Human Rights |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251019193845/https://www.hhrjournal.org/2025/07/29/a-destruction-of-the-conditions-for-life-report-on-genocide-in-gaza/ |archive-date=19 October 2025}}]
=== Targeting of specific professions ===
==== Educationalists ====
The killing of educationalists, and destruction of educational infrastructure such as schools and universities, has been recognised by scholars as a component part of the Gaza Genocide. [{{Cite journal |last=Alarabeed |first=Wadee |date=2025-11-11 |title=The banality of scholasticide: the role of universities and academia in an age of genocide |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14767724.2025.2577694 |journal=Globalisation, Societies and Education |language=en |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1080/14767724.2025.2577694 |issn=1476-7724}}][{{Cite web |last=Pratt |first=Nicola |date=2025-11-25 |title=Scholasticide in Gaza: Settler Colonial Elimination, Genocide, and the Crisis of Academic Responsibility |url=https://www.e-ir.info/2025/11/25/scholasticide-in-gaza-settler-colonial-elimination-genocide-and-the-crisis-of-academic-responsibility/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=E-International Relations |language=en-US}}] The IAGS in its 2025 resolution declaring that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza had met the legal definition of genocide, used the fact that "Israel has destroyed schools, universities, libraries, museums, and archives, all of them essential to the continued existence of Palestinian collective well-being and identity;" in support of its resolution.[{{Cite web |last=Rabaia |first=Ibrahim S.I |last2=Habash |first2=Lourdes |date=2024-04-18 |title=The Hidden War on Higher Education: Unmasking the 'Educide' in Gaza |url=https://pomeps.org/the-hidden-war-on-higher-education-unmasking-the-educide-in-gaza |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=Project on Middle East Political Science |pages=8-13 |language=en-US}}]
==== Journalists ====
Press freedom organisations and human rights groups have characterised the systematic killing of Palestinian journalists as a component of the genocide in Gaza.[{{Cite web |date=2025-09-08 |title=PCHR Launches Report on "Assassination of Truth: Killing of Journalists amid Genocide in Gaza" |url=https://pchrgaza.org/pchr-launches-report-on-assassination-of-truth-killing-of-journalists-amid-genocide-in-gaza/ |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=Palestinian Centre for Human Rights |language=en}}] [[International Federation of Journalists|The International Federation of Journalists]] reported that 56 media professionals were killed in 2025 alone as part of the "genocidal war on Gaza".[{{Cite web |date=2025-10-07 |title=Israel: Two years of killing journalists and controlling the narrative in Gaza |url=https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/israel-two-years-of-killing-journalists-and-controlling-the-narrative-in-gaza |access-date=2026-01-23 |website=IFJ |language=en}}]
South Africa cited the Palestinian journalists being "killed at a rate significantly higher than has occurred in any conflict in the past 100 years" as part of its [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel|application accusing Israel]] of genocide.[{{Cite web |last=Gjevori |first=Elis |date=2025-12-28 |title=Israel kills over 700 relatives of Palestinian journalists in Gaza: Report |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/28/israel-kills-over-700-relatives-of-palestinian-journalists-in-gaza-report |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}][{{Cite book |last=Akila |first=Hiba |title=Eliminating Witnessess on Genocide and Eithnic Cleansing Crimes in the Gaza Strip |publisher=Palestinian Center for Human Rights}}]
A [[Brown University|Brown university]] study found that Israel had killed more journalists in Gaza since October 2023 than "the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined". [{{Cite book |last=Turse |first=Nick |url=https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/sites/default/files/papers/Turse_Costs-of-War_The-Reporting-Graveyard-4-2-25.pdf |title=News graveyards: How dangers to war reporters endanger the world. |publisher=Watson School for International and Public Affairs, Brown University |year=2025 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/feyZb |archive-date=20 Jan 2026}}][{{Cite news |last=Batrawy |first=Aya |date=2025-09-01 |title=Media outlets demand Israel grant access to Gaza, halt attacks on journalists there |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/09/01/nx-s1-5521944/news-outlets-call-for-safety-of-journalists-covering-the-war-in-gaza |access-date=2026-01-20 |work=NPR |language=en}}]
The [[Committee to Protect Journalists|CPJ]] observed that "Israel is engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented" and that there was a "pattern of journalists in Gaza reporting receiving threats, and subsequently, their family members being killed".[{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=Israel-Gaza War |url=https://cpj.org/issue/israel-gaza-war/ |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=Committee to Protect Journalists |language=en-US}}][{{Cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris |date=2023-12-21 |title=Israeli military accused of targeting journalists and their families in Gaza |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/21/israel-idf-accused-targeting-journalists-gaza |access-date=2026-01-20 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}]
The [[Reporters sans frontieres|RSF]] accused the IDF, in a case filed with the [[International Criminal Court|ICC]], of the targeted killing of 7 journalists in Gaza, in between the dates of 22 October to 15 December 2023. The 7 journalists were Asem Al-Barsh, Bilal Jadallah , Montaser Al-Sawaf, Rushdi Al Siraj, Hassouna Salim, Sari Mansour and Al Jazeera’s Abudaqa. Targeting journalists is a war crime under Article 8 of the Rome Statute. [{{Cite web |date=2023-12-22 |title=RSF files second war crimes complaint with ICC over Gaza journalists killed |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/22/rsf-files-second-war-crimes-complaint-with-icc-over-gaza-journalists-killed |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}]
The [[Palestinian Centre for Human Rights|PCHR]] alleges that this killing is to intimidate and deter journalists from coverage of current events.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Mohyeldin|Hamdan|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Komnenic|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Sultany|2024|p=4}}
| {{harvnb|Swart|2025|p=689}}
}}][{{harvnb|Bouranova|2024}}: "The opposition is political, as there is consensus amongst the international human rights legal community, many other legal and political experts, including many Holocaust scholars, that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza."][{{Cite web |date=18 May 2025 |title=Four Facts about Israel's Genocide |url=https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/four-facts-about-israel%E2%80%99s-genocide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621102212/https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/four-facts-about-israel%E2%80%99s-genocide |archive-date=21 June 2025 |access-date=23 September 2025 |website=[[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] |language=en |quote=Israel's genocide against Palestinians involves the planned and entirely intentional murder and forced displacement of all Palestinians from their ancestral homes across historical Palestine using all available means. It has been going on since Israel's founding, but sped up significantly first after Netanyahu assumed power in 2022 and again after October 7, 2023}}]
According to [[B'Tselem]] and others, the Gaza genocide is occurring in the context of over 75 years of [[Zionism as settler colonialism|Zionist settler colonial]] violence and [[Jewish supremacy]] targeting Palestinians.{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=5}}[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|O'Brien|2025}}
| {{harvnb|Nijim|2024|p=}}{{page needed|date=October 2025}}
| {{harvnb|Repo|2024|pp=}}{{page needed|date=October 2025}}
| {{harvnb|Sorek|2025|pp=}}{{page needed|date=October 2025}}
| {{harvnb|Lederman|2024|pp=1–2, 5}}
}}] Multiple genocide scholars argue that [[settler colonialism]] is an important motive for Israel's actions.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Segal|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Lederman|2024|pp=1–2, 5}}
| {{harvnb|Abdo|2024|p=1}}
| {{harvnb|Shaw|2024|p=1}}
| {{harvnb|Üngör|2024|pp=3–4, 5–6}}
| {{harvnb|Albanese|2024a|p=2}}
}}] [[Raz Segal]] and B'Tselem also highlight the increasing influence of Jewish supremacy in Israeli politics,{{sfn|Segal|2025|p=182}}{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=5}} while reports by [[Francesca Albanese]] and [[Amos Goldberg]] highlight the project of [[Greater Israel]].{{sfn|Albanese|2024a|p=4}}{{sfn|Albanese|2024b|p=20–22}}{{sfn|Goldberg|2024|p=9}}
===Genocide and Holocaust studies===
In May 2025, ''[[NRC (newspaper)|NRC]]'' wrote that leading scholars in [[genocide studies]] are "surprisingly unanimous" that Israel is committing genocide.{{sfn|van Laarhoven|Peek|Walters|2025}} Some scholars of [[Holocaust studies]], such as [[Norman J. W. Goda]] and [[Jeffrey Herf]], have said that Israel is not committing genocide.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Goda|Herf|2025}}
| {{harvnb|Cohen|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Segal|2024|pp=62–66}}
| {{harvnb|Klein|2025|pp=1–7}}
}}] Others, such as Israeli professors [[Raz Segal]] and {{ill|Shira Klein|he|שירה קליין}}, have argued that Israel's actions should be analysed as a case of genocide,{{sfn|van Laarhoven|Peek|Walters|2025}}{{sfn|Klein|2025|pp=1–7}}{{sfn|Segal|2024|pp=62–66}} citing, among other things, attacks on infrastructure, food, and water as genocidal.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Semerdjian|2024a|p=3}}
| {{harvnb|Samudzi|2024|pp=6–7}}
| {{harvnb|Stacey|2023}}
}}] [[Omer Bartov]], professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at [[Brown University]] and an [[Israel Defense Forces]] veteran, has said: "intent has been publicly expressed by numerous officials and leaders. But intent can also be derived from a pattern of operations on the ground, and this pattern became clear by May 2024".[{{Cite news |last=Bartov |first=Omer |author-link=Omer Bartov |date=15 July 2025 |title=Opinion {{!}} I'm a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/israel-gaza-holocaust-genocide-palestinians.html |access-date=8 November 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250715050553/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/israel-gaza-holocaust-genocide-palestinians.html |archive-date=15 July 2025}}] [[Amos Goldberg]] and [[Daniel Blatman]], historians of the Holocaust and genocide studies at the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]], noted that "most acts of genocide are perceived by their perpetrators as acts of self-defense against their victims" and the Gaza war "falls into this category."[{{Cite news |date=30 January 2025 |title=There's no Auschwitz in Gaza. But it's still genocide |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-30/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/theres-no-auschwitz-in-gaza-but-its-still-genocide/00000194-b8af-dee1-a5dc-fcff384b0000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251001003740/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-30/ty-article-magazine/.highlight/theres-no-auschwitz-in-gaza-but-its-still-genocide/00000194-b8af-dee1-a5dc-fcff384b0000 |archive-date=1 October 2025 |access-date=8 November 2025 |work=[[Haaretz]] |language=en}}]
On 31 August 2025, the [[International Association of Genocide Scholars]] (IAGS), the world's biggest academic association of genocide scholars, passed a resolution saying that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.[{{Cite news |last=Tondo |first=Lorenzo |date=1 September 2025 |title=Israel committing genocide in Gaza, world's top scholars on the crime say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/01/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-worlds-top-scholars-on-the-say |access-date=1 September 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902000620/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/01/israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-worlds-top-scholars-on-the-say |archive-date=2 September 2025}}]
===Legal and human rights experts===
{{Overly detailed|section|details=from the overview detailing grouped positions, the section has quadrupled in size, seeking to include quotes from every person who has commented|date=December 2025}}
In December 2023, former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor [[Luis Moreno Ocampo]] told ''[[Al Jazeera]]'' that the siege of Gaza was a form of genocide due to Israel's imposing conditions that would lead to the deaths of Palestinians.[{{#invoke:Cite|news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/program/upfront/2023/12/1/former-icc-chief-prosecutor-israels-siege-of-gaza-is-a-genocide |title=Former ICC chief prosecutor: Israel's siege of Gaza is a 'genocide' |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=1 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710195403/https://www.aljazeera.com/program/upfront/2023/12/1/former-icc-chief-prosecutor-israels-siege-of-gaza-is-a-genocide |archive-date=10 July 2024}}] In December, in correspondence published in ''The Lancet'', multiple specialists in international medicine and humanitarian aid reiterated warnings of the risk of genocide, while detailing how Israel's blocking of humanitarian support and aid were leading to unnecessary deaths, and how the death rate would continue to worsen. They called on signatories to the Genocide Convention to enforce a ceasefire on Israel.{{sfn|Faddoul|Shannon|Asghar|Boukari|2024|pp=25–26}} Nimer Sultany argues that, by mid-2024, a growing consensus among legal scholars suggested that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.{{sfn|Sultany|2024|p=4}} Multiple public declarations from journals and academic organisations have warned of a potential genocide and declared opposition to an ongoing genocide.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted||{{harvnb|Segal|Daniele|2024|pp=5–6}}|{{harvnb|Narea|Samuel|2023}}|{{harvnb|Johnson|2023}}|{{harvnb|Segal|2023}}|{{#invoke:Cite|web|date=11 March 2024 |title=MESA Board Joint Statement with CAF regarding the ongoing genocidal violence against the Palestinian people and their cultural heritage in Gaza |url=https://mesana.org/advocacy/letters-from-the-board/2024/03/11/mesa-board-joint-statement-with-caf-regarding-the-ongoing-genocidal-violence-against-the-palestinian-people-and-their-cultural-heritage-in-gaza |publisher=[[Middle East Studies Association]] |access-date=14 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314081322/https://mesana.org/advocacy/letters-from-the-board/2024/03/11/mesa-board-joint-statement-with-caf-regarding-the-ongoing-genocidal-violence-against-the-palestinian-people-and-their-cultural-heritage-in-gaza |archive-date=14 March 2024}}}}]{{sfn|International State Crime Initiative|2023}}
In January 2024, a number of prominent Israelis, represented by the human-rights lawyer [[Michael Sfard]], sent Israel's attorney general and state prosecutor an open letter detailing examples of "the discourse of annihilation, expulsion and revenge".[{{#invoke:Cite|news|last1=Graham-Harrison |first1=Emma |last2=Kierszenbaum |first2=Quique |date=3 January 2024 |title=Israeli public figures accuse judiciary of ignoring incitement to genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/03/israeli-public-figures-accuse-judiciary-of-ignoring-incitement-to-genocide-in-gaza |access-date=6 January 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128043046/https://www.guardian.com/world/2024/jan/03/israeli-public-figures-accuse-judiciary-of-ignoring-incitement-to-genocide-in-gaza |archive-date=28 January 2024}}] The signatories said the Israeli judiciary was ignoring incitement to genocide in Gaza.[{{#invoke:Cite|web|last=Mearsheimer |first=John J. |author-link=John Mearsheimer |date=4 January 2024 |title=Genocide in Gaza |url=https://mearsheimer.substack.com/p/genocide-in-gaza |access-date=3 April 2025 |website=John's Substack |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250726142901/https://mearsheimer.substack.com/p/genocide-in-gaza |archive-date=26 July 2025}}] [[William Schabas]], an expert in [[international criminal law]],{{sfn|Currie|2011}} said that South Africa's case was the strongest of all recent genocide cases at the [[International Court of Justice]], citing the destruction of Gazan infrastructure and statements by Israeli politicians that Gazans are "human animals" and that Israel would deny them electricity, water, and medical care.[{{#invoke:Cite|news|date=28 June 2024 |access-date=15 July 2024 |language=en |title=International laws against genocide exist: so why don't they work? |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/genocide-convention-william-schabas-1.7249721 |work=[[CBC/Radio-Canada|CBC]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714231001/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/genocide-convention-william-schabas-1.7249721 |archive-date=14 July 2024}}][{{#invoke:Cite|news|last=Marin |first=Stephanie |date=4 October 2024 |title=Le déchirement autour du mot «génocide» |language=fr |trans-title=The rift around the word "genocide" |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/monde/moyen-orient/821121/y-il-genocide-gaza |work=[[Le Devoir]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250312184658/https://www.ledevoir.com/monde/moyen-orient/821121/y-il-genocide-gaza |archive-date=12 March 2025}}][{{#invoke:Cite|news|last=Sansour |first=Leila |date=10 January 2024 |access-date=15 July 2024 |language=en |work=[[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] |title=South Africa accuses Israel of genocide: Everything we know about the landmark court case |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2024-01-10/south-africa-accuses-israel-of-genocide-everything-we-know-about-the-case |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110190756/https://www.itv.com/news/2024-01-10/south-africa-accuses-israel-of-genocide-everything-we-know-about-the-case |archive-date=10 January 2024}}]
On 26 January 2024, the ICJ issued a preliminary ruling finding that the rights asserted in [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel|South Africa's filing]] were "plausible", and an order requiring that Israel take all measures in its power to prevent acts of genocide, prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and allow basic humanitarian services into Gaza.[{{harvnb|Donoghue|2024|loc=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."); [[#ICJ-order-2024-01-26|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.").] Judge ad hoc [[Aharon Barak]] dissented from the majority's view that genocide-related rights were "plausible", writing that South Africa had not demonstrated genocidal intent on Israel's part.[{{cite web |title=Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel), Separate Opinion of Judge ad hoc Barak |date=26 January 2024 |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192 |publisher=International Court of Justice |access-date=1 December 2025}}]
On 15 May 2024, a report by the [[University Network for Human Rights]], [[Boston University School of Law]], [[Cornell Law School]], [[University of Pretoria]], and the [[Yale Law School]] found that "Israel has committed genocidal acts".[{{Cite web |date=15 May 2024 |title=Genocide in Gaza: Analysis of International Law and its Application to Israel's Military Actions since October 7, 2023 |url=https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/publications/genocide-in-gaza |access-date=30 September 2025 |website=University Network for Human Rights |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251001005253/https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/publications/genocide-in-gaza |archive-date=1 October 2025}}] In a May 2024 interview, Human Rights Watch co-founder [[Aryeh Neier]] detailed how Israel's blocking of aid and the subsequent starvation of Gaza's population is indicative of genocide.{{sfn|Zakaria|2024}}
On 1 June 2024, professor of international law {{ill|Daniel-Erasmus Khan|de|Daniel-Erasmus Khan}} said there was no clear evidence of a special intent among Israeli leadership.[{{cite news |last=Henrich |first=Jan |date=1 June 2024 |title=Krieg in Gaza: Was Gerichte zum Völkermord-Vorwurf sagen |trans-title=What courts say about the genocide accusation |url=https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/ausland/israel-vorwurf-voelkermord-palaestinenser-gericht-gazastreifen-100.html |access-date=21 February 2025 |work=[[heute]] |publisher=[[ZDF]] |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250125155540/https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/ausland/israel-vorwurf-voelkermord-palaestinenser-gericht-gazastreifen-100.html |archive-date=25 January 2025}}] A June 2024 report by the [[University Network for Human Rights]] and [[Boston University School of Law]] found that "Israel has committed genocidal acts".[{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=Eli M. |author-link=Eli Rosenbaum |date=11 August 2024 |title=The big lie of genocide & Gaza: Seven experts on Nazi genocide expose the canard of Israeli 'crimes' |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/08/11/the-big-lie-of-genocide-gaza-seven-experts-on-nazi-genocide-expose-the-canard-of-israeli-crimes/ |access-date=10 September 2024 |work=[[New York Daily News]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240812191410/https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/08/11/the-big-lie-of-genocide-gaza-seven-experts-on-nazi-genocide-expose-the-canard-of-israeli-crimes/ |archive-date=12 August 2024}}]
In October 2024, Professor [[Conor Gearty]] called Israel genocidal, pointing to the continued attacks on schools and hospitals and the lack of internal investigations by Israeli authorities into potential crimes.[{{#invoke:Cite|web|last=Gearty |first=Conor |author-link=Conor Gearty |date=26 October 2024 |title=Homeland Insecurity. Launch LSE 24 October 2024 |url=https://conorgearty.co.uk/2024/10/homeland-insecurity-launch-lse-24-october-2024/ |website=Conor Gearty |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250324111202/https://conorgearty.co.uk/2024/10/homeland-insecurity-launch-lse-24-october-2024/ |archive-date=24 March 2025}}] Some scholars, particularly those associated with [[Third World approaches to international law]], have argued that the international community's failure to treat Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide and respond accordingly has harmed the principles of the [[international order]] and international law itself, and exposed the deficiencies of international governance.[{{#invoke:Cite|web|last=Baars |first=Grietje |date=19 February 2024 |title=The uses of Marxist theory of law during a genocide |url=https://criticallegalthinking.com/2024/02/19/the-uses-of-marxist-theory-of-law-during-a-genocide/ |access-date=8 May 2025 |website=Critical Legal Thinking |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250508014644/https://criticallegalthinking.com/2024/02/19/the-uses-of-marxist-theory-of-law-during-a-genocide/ |archive-date=8 May 2025}}][{{#invoke:Cite|web|last=Barreto |first=José Manuel |date=8 October 2024 |title=Rethinking International Law After Gaza Symposium: The Palestinian Genocide and the Colonial Core of International Law |url=https://opiniojuris.org/2024/10/08/rethinking-international-law-after-gaza-symposium-the-palestinian-genocide-and-the-colonial-core-of-international-law/ |access-date=8 May 2025 |website=[[Opinio Juris (blog)|Juris]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250508014645/https://opiniojuris.org/2024/10/08/rethinking-international-law-after-gaza-symposium-the-palestinian-genocide-and-the-colonial-core-of-international-law/ |archive-date=8 May 2025}}]{{sfn|Englert|Bhattacharyya|2024|p=}}{{pn|date=August 2025}} José Manuel Barreto{{who2|date=January 2026}} argues that "the Palestinian genocide has unveiled the deep colonial structure of the international legal order" and identifies events in Gaza with the history of genocides in the colonised world, which he says the [[Westphalian system]] has historically failed to prevent.[{{cite news|last=Magdy |first=Sam |date=5 December 2024 |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-rights-amnesty-genocide-19aa8fb76f7271942e73d5d7a42434e0 |title=Amnesty International says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations |work=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-date=17 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217174023/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-rights-amnesty-genocide-19aa8fb76f7271942e73d5d7a42434e0 |url-status=live}}][{{cite magazine |last=Lanard |first=Noah |date=5 December 2024 |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/12/israel-genocide-gaza-amnesty-international-report/ |title=Amnesty International: Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza |magazine=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |access-date=17 December 2024 |archive-date=10 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241210022113/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/12/israel-genocide-gaza-amnesty-international-report/ |url-status=live}}][{{cite web |last=Haque |first=Adil Ahmad |author-link=Adil Ahmad Haque |date=16 December 2024 |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/105629/amnesty-international-gaza-genocide-report/ |title=The Amnesty International Report on Genocide in Gaza |website=Just Security |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220103911/https://www.justsecurity.org/105629/amnesty-international-gaza-genocide-report/ |archive-date=20 December 2024}}] After the Amnesty report, Human Rights Watch also said Israel had committed "genocidal acts" and that Israeli officials statements may indicate genocidal intent.[{{cite news |last=Geller |first=Adam |date=19 December 2024 |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-genocide-human-rights-watch-0cae5c250415975ebbfcfdab6808abc4 |title=Human Rights Watch says Israel's restriction of water supply in Gaza amounts to acts of genocide |work=[[Associated Press]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220100513/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-genocide-human-rights-watch-0cae5c250415975ebbfcfdab6808abc4 |archive-date=20 December 2024}}]
In April 2025, the barrister [[Michael Mansfield]] said there was "no question" that genocide was occurring.[{{#invoke:Cite|news|last=Safdar |first=Anealla |date=16 April 2025 |title=Top UK barrister: Israel is carrying out 'destruction of humanity' in Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/16/top-uk-barrister-israel-is-carrying-out-destruction-of-humanity-in-gaza |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250419150140/https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/4/16/top-uk-barrister-israel-is-carrying-out-destruction-of-humanity-in-gaza |archive-date=19 April 2025}}] In May 2025, Luigi Daniele, a lecturer at [[Nottingham Law School]], noted a link between the IDF's justification for its conduct in Gaza and the [[Rapid Support Forces]] rationale in the [[Sudanese civil war (2023–present)|Sudanese civil war]], saying it "reveals the emergence of a template to commit mass extermination and even genocide".{{sfn|Nashed|2025}} In May 2024 the scholar Nimer Sultany supported [[Forensic Architecture]]'s assessment that Israel had weaponised international humanitarian law into "humanitarian violence".{{sfn|Sultany|2024|pp=10–11}} This was supported in July by Professor [[Neve Gordon]] and the anthropologist [[Nicola Perugini]], who argued that Israel used "the law itself as a tool legitimizing genocide".{{sfn|Perugini|Gordon|2024}}
In June 2025, Ambos and scholar {{ill|Stefanie Bock|de|Stefanie Bock (Rechtswissenschaftlerin)}} wrote that it has become more difficult to deny genocidal intent.[{{#invoke:Cite|journal|last1=Ambos |first1=Kai |author1-link=Kai Ambos |last2=Bock |first2=Stefanie |author2-link=:de:Stefanie Bock (Rechtswissenschaftlerin) |date=4 June 2025 |title=Genocide in Gaza? |url=https://verfassungsblog.de/genocide-in-gaza/ |access-date=9 July 2025 |journal=[[Verfassungsblog]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250624141521/https://verfassungsblog.de/genocide-in-gaza/ |archive-date=24 June 2025 |url-status=live}}]
In July 2025, 1,300 professionals and academics in public health, health care, and the social sciences signed a letter acknowledging the Gaza genocide.{{sfn|De Vogli|Montomoli|Abu-Sittah|Pappé|2025|p=1}} According to professor Ernesto Verdeja, even by "the most inflexible interpretation of genocide, Gaza qualifies as genocidal".{{sfn|Verdeja|2025|p=8}} In July 2025, {{lang|fr|[[Le Monde]]}} reported that legal experts remained divided on the question, with some agreeing that Israel was committing genocide and others viewing the charge as unsubstantiated.[{{cite news |last=Ayad |first=Christophe |date=27 July 2025 |title=Is there a genocide in Gaza? Why legal experts are split |work=[[Le Monde]] |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/07/27/is-there-a-genocide-in-gaza-why-legal-experts-are-split_6743780_23.html |access-date=1 December 2025 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250727161927/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2025/07/27/is-there-a-genocide-in-gaza-why-legal-experts-are-split_6743780_23.html |archive-date=27 July 2025}}] Bartov wrote that the silence of many scholars of the Holocaust and Holocaust commemoration institutions and their disbelief that Israel could commit war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, or genocide threatens [[Universalism|universalist]] interpretations of Holocaust studies and Holocaust commemoration and may lead to a decline in the relevance of Holocaust education.[{{#invoke:Cite|news|date=17 July 2025 |title="I'm a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It": Prof. Omer Bartov on the Growing Consensus on Gaza |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2025/7/17/omer_bartov |access-date=18 July 2025 |work=[[Democracy Now!]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250725080837/https://www.democracynow.org/2025/7/17/omer_bartov |archive-date=25 July 2025}}][{{#invoke:Cite|news|last=Bartov |first=Omer |author-link=Omer Bartov |date=15 July 2025 |title=Opinion {{!}} I'm a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/israel-gaza-holocaust-genocide-palestinians.html |access-date=18 July 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250731052733/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/opinion/israel-gaza-holocaust-genocide-palestinians.html |archive-date=31 July 2025}}] Journalist Colin Jones interviewed lawyers affiliated with the US military and concluded that they see Gaza as a test case for what military conduct might be acceptable in a hypothetical war between the US and a peer power such as China.[{{#invoke:Cite|magazine|last=Jones |first=Colin |date=25 April 2025 |title=What's Legally Allowed in War |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/whats-legally-allowed-in-war |access-date=26 July 2025 |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250715150411/https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/whats-legally-allowed-in-war |archive-date=15 July 2025}}]
In August 2025, according to Mia Swart, a growing consensus was emerging "in international legal circles that Israel is committing genocide".{{sfn|Swart|2025|p=3}} [[Craig Mokhiber]], a retired UN human rights lawyer, wrote, "Never, in the modern era, have we seen such a clear-cut, article-by-article violation of the United Nations Genocide Convention, so broad a consensus in the identification of the crime".[{{cite journal |last1=Mokhiber |first1=Craig |date=March 2025 |title=Law on trial: Gaza and the future of the international legal order |journal=Dialectical Anthropology |volume=49 |issue=1 |pages=121–144 |doi=10.1007/s10624-025-09764-0}}]
===Other scholars===
In March 2024, the [[Middle East Studies Association]] condemned the "accelerating scale of genocidal violence being inflicted on the Palestinian population of Gaza", saying that Israel's conduct constituted [[cultural genocide]].[{{cite news |last1=Motamedi |first1=Maziar |last2=Siddiqui |first2=Usaid |date=11 March 2024 |title=Middle East Studies Association denounces Israel's 'cultural genocide' in Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-ramadan-begins-with-no-end-to-israels-siege?update=2766040 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=14 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312000648/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/11/israels-war-on-gaza-live-ramadan-begins-with-no-end-to-israels-siege?update=2766040 |archive-date=12 March 2024}}] Surveys of 758 Middle East scholars by the [[Brookings Institution]] indicated a growing consensus that Israel's military campaign in Gaza was genocide.[{{Cite web |last1=Lynch |first1=Marc |last2=Telhami |first2=Shibley |date=20 June 2024 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/ |title=Gloom about the 'day after' the Gaza war pervasive among Mideast scholars |publisher=[[Brookings Institution|Brookings]] |access-date=29 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626215734/https://www.brookings.edu/articles/gloom-about-the-day-after-the-gaza-war-pervasive-among-mideast-scholars/ |archive-date=26 June 2024}}][{{cite web |author= |date=21 June 2024 |title=2021 Middle East Scholar Barometer #7 (May 23 – June 6, 2024) |url=https://criticalissues.umd.edu/middle-east-scholar-barometer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240626215735/https://criticalissues.umd.edu/middle-east-scholar-barometer|archive-date=26 June 2024 |access-date=29 June 2024 |work=Critical Issues Poll |publisher=[[University of Maryland]]}}][{{cite web |title=Middle East Scholar Barometer #8 (January 31–February 19, 2025) |url=https://criticalissues.umd.edu/sites/criticalissues.umd.edu/files/Questionnaire_MESB2025.pdf |website=University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll |publisher=University of Maryland and George Washington University Project on Middle East Political Science |date=February 2025 |access-date=5 September 2025 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251006025947/https://criticalissues.umd.edu/sites/criticalissues.umd.edu/files/Questionnaire_MESB2025.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2025 |url-status=dead }}]
In 2025, [[John Spencer (military officer)|John Spencer]], chair of urban warfare studies at the [[Modern War Institute]] at the [[United States Military Academy]], argued that Israel had not demonstrated genocidal intent, based on what he called "evidence of what Israel is doing to preserve infrastructure, civilian life, to provide services".[{{cite news |last=Inskeep |first=Steve |date=29 July 2025 |title=War scholar discusses why he does not think there is a genocide in Gaza |work=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/07/29/nx-s1-5478643/war-scholar-discusses-why-he-does-not-think-there-is-a-genocide-in-gaza |access-date=18 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251112100804/https://www.npr.org/2025/07/29/nx-s1-5478643/war-scholar-discusses-why-he-does-not-think-there-is-a-genocide-in-gaza |archive-date=12 November 2025}}]
[[Robert Satloff]] of the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] criticized the IAGS genocide resolution for its sourcing and for lacking independent research, noting that it passed with the support of "only one-fifth{{nbsp}}... of the organization’s membership", though he wrote that his "critique of the IAGS resolution should not be misread as endorsement of Israeli strategy and tactics in Gaza or indifference to the terrible human toll in this conflict".[{{cite web |last1=Satloff |first1=Robert |title=A Charade in Academic Garb |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/charade-academic-garb |website=[[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] |access-date=23 December 2025 |date=2 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250912004555/https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/charade-academic-garb |archive-date=12 September 2025}}]
== Legal proceedings ==
=== International Court of Justice application ===
{{main|South Africa's genocide case against Israel}}
[[File:International stances on South Africa v. Israel lawsuit.svg|thumb|Stances of states on [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel|''South Africa v. Israel'']]:{{legend|#3f612d|South Africa}} {{legend|#6da84d|Countries that have supported South Africa's case}} {{legend|#3d62a4|Countries that have opposed South Africa's case}} {{legend|#213659|Israel}}]]
In December 2023, [[South Africa]] instituted proceedings at the [[International Court of Justice]] pursuant to the [[Genocide Convention]], accusing Israel of committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.[{{cite news |last1=Chao-Fong |first1=Léonie |last2=Belam |first2=Martin |last3=Ahmad |first3=Reged |date=29 December 2023 |title=Israel-Gaza war live: Israel hits back at South Africa after it launches genocide case at UN's top court |language=en |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/dec/29/israel-gaza-war-live-updates-hamas-egypt-delegation-ceasefire-cairo |access-date=29 December 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115013657/https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2023/dec/29/israel-gaza-war-live-updates-hamas-egypt-delegation-ceasefire-cairo |archive-date=15 January 2024}}][{{cite web |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf |title=Application Instituting Proceedings, Application of Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crime of Genocide (S. Afr. v. Isr.), No. 192 |website=[[International Court of Justice|ICJ]] |date=29 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240105144115/https://www.icj-cij.org/index.php/node/203394 |archive-date=5 January 2024}}][{{cite news |date=29 December 2023 |title=South Africa launches case at top UN court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza |url=https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21 |access-date=3 January 2024 |work=[[Associated Press]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122062939/https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-israel-un-court-palestinians-genocide-ffe672c4eb3e14a30128542eaa537b21 |archive-date=22 January 2024}}] South African president [[Cyril Ramaphosa]] [[Israeli apartheid|compared Israel's actions]] to [[apartheid]].[{{cite news |last=Carl |first=Traci |date=29 December 2023 |title=South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in a U.N. court. |language=en-US |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/29/world/middleeast/south-africa-israel-genocide.html |access-date=30 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117041902/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/29/world/middleeast/south-africa-israel-genocide.html |archive-date=17 January 2024}}] Several [[South Africa v. Israel (Genocide Convention)#Other international responses|international organisations and other nations]] supported South Africa's suit.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Roelf|Sterling|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Rifai|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Conley|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Jimoh|2024}}
| {{Cite news |title=South Africa's ICJ Case Against Israel Backed by Over 1,000 Organizations |work= [[Palestine Chronicle]] |date=10 January 2024 |url=https://www.palestinechronicle.com/south-africas-icj-case-against-israel-backed-by-over-1000-organizations/ |access-date=13 January 2024 |archive-date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112210235/https://www.palestinechronicle.com/south-africas-icj-case-against-israel-backed-by-over-1000-organizations/ |url-status=live}}
| {{harvnb|Shamim|2024}}
}}][{{cite web |title=We Support South Africa's Genocide Convention Case Against Israel |publisher=[[Progressive International]] |date=8 January 2024 |url=https://progressive.international/wire/2024-01-08-we-support-south-africas-genocide-convention-case-against-israel/en/ |access-date=8 January 2024 |archive-date=8 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108224921/https://progressive.international/wire/2024-01-08-we-support-south-africas-genocide-convention-case-against-israel/en/ |url-status=live}}]
In its application, South Africa argued that Israel's actions "are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group".[{{cite news |date=6 March 2024 |title=South Africa asks World Court for more measures against Israel |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/south-africa-asks-world-court-more-measures-against-israel-2024-03-06/ |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240306223624/https://www.reuters.com/world/south-africa-asks-world-court-more-measures-against-israel-2024-03-06/ |archive-date=6 March 2024}}] and in May, the court issued what some experts considered to be an ambiguous order but which was widely understood as requiring Israel to immediately halt its [[Rafah offensive|offensive in Rafah]].[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Taub|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Wintour|2024}}: "a directive widely seen to have instructed Israel to completely stop its military offensive"
| {{harvnb|Clayton|2024a}}: "It was widely viewed as an unambiguous statement: The top United Nations court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah—a dramatic intervention that left the nation and its chief ally, the U.S., increasingly isolated on the world stage."
| {{harvnb|Haque|2024a}}
}}] Israel rejected this interpretation and continued its offensive.{{sfn|Casciani|2024b}}
The Israeli government spokesman [[Eylon Levy]] rejected the allegations "with disgust"[{{Cite news |date=29 December 2023 |title=South Africa launches case at The Hague accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/24018477.south-africa-launches-case-hague-accusing-israel-genocide-gaza/ |access-date=29 December 2023 |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118081223/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/24018477.south-africa-launches-case-hague-accusing-israel-genocide-gaza/ |archive-date=18 January 2024}}] On 2 January 2024, Israel decided to appear before the ICJ in response to South Africa's case, despite a history of ignoring international tribunals.{{sfn|Corder|2024}} On 13 January, Netanyahu said, "No one will stop us. Not The Hague, not the [[Axis of Resistance|Axis of Evil]], no one."[{{cite news |last1=Al-Mughrabi |first1=Nidal |date=13 January 2024 |title=Israel pushes ahead with Gaza offensive approaching 100 days of war |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-presses-with-gaza-offensive-approaching-100-days-war-2024-01-13/ |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=14 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127095016/https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-presses-with-gaza-offensive-approaching-100-days-war-2024-01-13/ |archive-date=27 January 2024}}] Israeli officials accused the court of antisemitic bias.[{{cite news |last=McKernan |first=Bethan |date=26 January 2024 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/26/israeli-officials-accuse-international-court-of-justice-of-antisemitic-bias |title=Israeli officials accuse international court of justice of antisemitic bias |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227184626/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/26/israeli-officials-accuse-international-court-of-justice-of-antisemitic-bias |archive-date=27 February 2024}}][{{cite news |date=26 January 2024 |title='Not only false, it's outrageous': Netanyahu rejects Gaza genocide charges |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/video/netanyahu-rejects-outrageous-icj-charges-of-gaza-genocide-203021381942 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=28 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130123637/https://www.nbcnews.com/video/netanyahu-rejects-outrageous-icj-charges-of-gaza-genocide-203021381942 |archive-date=30 January 2024}}] Israel asserted that that it had taken all possible measures to safeguard civilians during its military campaign in Gaza.[{{cite news |last=Quell |first=Molly |title=Israel insists it is doing all it can to protect civilians in Gaza and denies genocide charges |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=7 May 2024 |url=https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-rafah-un-world-court-2f739ad4f64ff3a8186a423ad8f350e8 |access-date=19 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251004163645/https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-rafah-un-world-court-2f739ad4f64ff3a8186a423ad8f350e8 |archive-date=4 October 2025}}]{{sfn|McDoom|2024|pp=5–6}} Some [[Left-wing politics in Israel|left-wing Israeli politicians]], including [[Ofer Cassif]], supported South Africa's case.[{{cite news |title=MK Ofer Cassif joins lawsuit against Israel in the ICJ |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-781194 |access-date=8 January 2024 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |date=7 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108060131/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-781194 |archive-date=8 January 2024}}]
International Court of Justice Vice President [[Julia Sebutinde]] was one of the 17 judges ruling on provisional measures in [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel]]. She voted against all the provisional measures, and was the only [[Judges of the International Court of Justice#Permanent judges|permanent judge]] to vote against any of the measures.[{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/27/why-icj-judge-sebutinde-faces-calls-to-quit-from-israel-genocide-case |title=Why ICJ Judge Sebutinde faces calls to quit from Israel genocide case |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=27 August 2025 |access-date=28 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251228000416/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/27/why-icj-judge-sebutinde-faces-calls-to-quit-from-israel-genocide-case |archive-date=28 December 2025}}][{{cite news |url=https://www.jta.org/2024/01/26/politics/international-court-of-justice-rules-that-some-allegations-of-israel-committing-genocide-are-plausible |title=International Court of Justice rules that some allegations of Israel committing genocide are 'plausible' |last=Kampeas |first=Ron |website=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]] |date=26 January 2024 |access-date=18 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229003507/https://www.jta.org/2024/01/26/politics/international-court-of-justice-rules-that-some-allegations-of-israel-committing-genocide-are-plausible |archive-date=29 December 2025}}] In her dissenting opinion, Sebutinde wrote, "multiple concrete actions were taken by Israel to facilitate the provision of humanitarian aid for the civilian population of Gaza."[{{cite web |title=Dissenting opinion of Vice-President Sebutinde |website=[[International Court of Justice]] |date=24 May 2024 |url=https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204092 |access-date=18 November 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251229004443/https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204092 |archive-date=29 December 2025}}] She was [[Julia Sebutinde#Plagiarism_controversy|accused of plagiarizing]] large parts of her dissenting opinion from pro-Israel sources,[{{Cite news|title=ICJ president accused of plagiarism in dissenting opinion on Israeli occupation|url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/icj-president-accused-plagiarism-dissenting-opinion-israeli-occupation|work=Middle East Eye|date=27 January 2025}}][{{Cite web |date=2025-01-28 |title=ICJ President Julia Sebutinde accused of 'plagiarism' in opposing opinion on Israeli occupation |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1445412/icj-president-julia-sebutinde-accused-of-plagiarism-in-opposing-opinion-on-israeli-occupation.html |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=L'Orient Today |language=en}}] as well as plagiarism from [[Wikipedia]] and the [[BBC]]. According to political scientist [[Norman Finkelstein]], "at least 32 percent of Sebutinde’s dissent was plagiarised", including from writings from [[Douglas Feith]].[{{cite news |date=3 February 2025 |title=ICJ president 'plagiarised 32 percent of pro-Israel dissenting opinion' |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/fresh-allegations-emerge-plagiarism-icj-president-israel-opinion |work=Middle East Eye}}]
=== International Criminal Court ===
{{main|International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine|International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Israeli leaders}}
In May 2024, Khan applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, saying he had reasonable grounds to believe they bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.[{{cite press release |url=https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state |title=Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine |publisher=[[International Criminal Court]] |date=20 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240620045322/https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-prosecutor-karim-aa-khan-kc-applications-arrest-warrants-situation-state |archive-date=20 June 2024}}] The list of crimes did not include genocide, which is legally distinct from [[Extermination (crime)|extermination]].[{{cite web |last=Luban |first=David |date=22 May 2024 |title=What the ICC Prosecutor Charged – and Didn't Charge – in Gaza Warrants |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/95985/icc-gaza-warrant-charges/ |access-date=19 August 2024 |website=[[justsecurity.org|Just Security]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240703062415/https://www.justsecurity.org/95985/icc-gaza-warrant-charges/ |archive-date=3 July 2024}}] The warrants were issued in November 2024.[{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/ |title=Amnesty International concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza |date=5 December 2024 |website=[[Amnesty International]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250119110531/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/ |archive-date=19 January 2025}}][{{Cite news |last=Ferrer |first=Isabel |date=5 December 2024 |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-05/amnesty-international-investigation-concludes-that-israel-has-committed-genocide-in-gaza.html |title=Amnesty International investigation concludes that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza |work=[[El País]] English |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120183101/https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-12-05/amnesty-international-investigation-concludes-that-israel-has-committed-genocide-in-gaza.html |archive-date=20 January 2025}}] Also in December 2024, the Israeli law professor Omer Shatz filed a complaint with the ICC naming eight Israeli political and media figures he believed were responsible for incitement to genocide.[{{cite news |last=Nechin |first=Etan |date=24 January 2025 |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/the-israeli-lawyer-filing-a-landmark-genocide-case-against-israel-at-the-icc/00000194-59bf-d76e-a7dd-7bff42610000 |title=The Israeli Lawyer Filing a Landmark Incitement to Genocide Case Against Israel at the ICC |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250124105917/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-24/ty-article-magazine/.premium/the-israeli-lawyer-filing-a-landmark-genocide-case-against-israel-at-the-icc/00000194-59bf-d76e-a7dd-7bff42610000 |archive-date=24 January 2025}}] On 1 October 2025, a complaint was filed with the ICC accusing Italian Prime Minister [[Giorgia Meloni]] and other officials of genocide for their support of Israel.[{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/8/italys-meloni-says-icc-complaint-accuses-her-of-gaza-genocide-complicity |title=Italy's Meloni says ICC complaint accuses her of Gaza genocide complicity |newspaper=[[Al Jazeera]] |date=8 October 2025 |first=Lyndal |last=Rowlands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251230044214/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/8/italys-meloni-says-icc-complaint-accuses-her-of-gaza-genocide-complicity |archive-date=30 December 2025}}][{{cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/10/07/meloni-says-accused-of-complicity-in-genocide-at-world-court_6746197_4.html |title=Meloni says ICC complaint accuses her of complicity in Gaza genocide |newspaper=[[Le Monde]] |date=8 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251230044415/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/10/07/meloni-says-accused-of-complicity-in-genocide-at-world-court_6746197_4.html |archive-date=30 December 2025}}] The US and Israel have politically pressured and imposed sanctions on the ICC due to its positions during the war.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted||{{harvnb|Iraqi|2024}}|{{harvnb|Davies|McKernan|Abraham|Rapoport|2024}}|{{harvnb|Team Zeteo|Hasan|2024}}|{{cite web |date=7 February 2025 |title=US: Trump Authorizes International Criminal Court Sanctions |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/07/us-trump-authorizes-international-criminal-court-sanctions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250214060838/https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/07/us-trump-authorizes-international-criminal-court-sanctions |archive-date=14 February 2025 |access-date=28 February 2025 |website=[[Human Rights Watch]] |language=en}}}}]
=== Other proceedings ===
{{Main|Defense for Children International – Palestine v. Biden|Nicaragua v. Germany}}
In November 2023, the [[Center for Constitutional Rights]] sued US President [[Joe Biden]], Secretary of State [[Antony Blinken]], and Secretary of Defence [[Lloyd Austin]],[{{cite magazine |last=Mansoor |first=Sanya |date=21 November 2023 |title=Pro-Palestinian Americans Are Pushing Biden to Pivot |url=https://time.com/6337911/biden-israel-policy-palestine-pressure/ |access-date=8 January 2024 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102191717/https://time.com/6337911/biden-israel-policy-palestine-pressure/ |archive-date=2 January 2024}}][{{cite news |last=Haigh |first=Elizabeth |date=15 November 2023 |title=Humanitarian groups sue Biden and administration officials for involvement in Israel-Hamas war |url=https://www.jurist.org/news/2023/11/humanitarian-groups-sue-biden-and-administration-officials-for-involvement-in-israel-hamas-war/ |access-date=8 January 2024 |work=[[Jurist (website)|Jurist]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117233607/https://www.jurist.org/news/2023/11/humanitarian-groups-sue-biden-and-administration-officials-for-involvement-in-israel-hamas-war/ |archive-date=17 January 2024}}]{{sfn|Segal|Daniele|2024|p=6}} alleging that Israel's "mass killings", targeting of civilian infrastructure, and forced expulsions amount to genocide,[{{Cite news |last=Hubler |first=Shawn |date=31 January 2024 |title=A federal judge dismisses a suit to block U.S. support of Israel{{snd}}but urges Biden to re-examine his approach |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/world/middleeast/joe-biden-israel-support.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201153444/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/31/world/middleeast/joe-biden-israel-support.html%20 |archive-date=1 February 2024 |access-date=1 February 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}] The judge also commented that he would have preferred to have issued the injunction and urged Biden to rethink US policy.[{{cite news |last=Borger |first=Julian |author-link=Julian Borger |date=1 February 2024 |title=Israel's campaign in Gaza 'plausibly' amounts to genocide, US court finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/01/genocide-gaza-israel-california-court |access-date=2 February 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240202041336/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/01/genocide-gaza-israel-california-court |archive-date=2 February 2024}}][{{cite news |last=Hanson |first=Natalie |date=13 November 2023 |title=Palestinians file lawsuit accusing Biden administration of violating Genocide Convention |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/palestinians-file-lawsuit-accusing-biden-administration-of-violating-genocide-convention/ |work=[[Courthouse News Service]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213203151/https://www.courthousenews.com/palestinians-file-lawsuit-accusing-biden-administration-of-violating-genocide-convention/ |archive-date=13 December 2023}}][{{cite news |last=Schaer |first=Cathrin |date=23 February 2024 |title=German lawyers sue Scholz, alleging complicity in Gaza 'genocide' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/23/german-lawyers-sue-politicians-including-scholz-over-complicity-in-gaza |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224051949/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/23/german-lawyers-sue-politicians-including-scholz-over-complicity-in-gaza |archive-date=24 February 2024}}][{{cite news |date=23 February 2024 |title=Gaza victims sue German government for 'aiding genocide against Palestinians' |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240223-gaza-victims-sue-german-government-for-aiding-genocide-against-palestinians/ |work=[[Middle East Monitor]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224115453/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240223-gaza-victims-sue-german-government-for-aiding-genocide-against-palestinians/ |archive-date=24 February 2024}}] The [[Public Prosecutor General (Germany)|Public Prosecutor General]] dismissed the complaint due to lack of [[reasonable suspicion]].[{{Cite web |last=Kolter |first=Max |date=20 September 2025 |title=Waffenexporte: Merz, Scholz und Co. wegen Beihilfe strafbar? |trans-title=Weapons exports: Are Merz, Scholz and Co. liable to prosecution for aiding and abetting? |url=https://www.lto.de/recht/hintergruende/h/waffen-waffenlieferungen-scholz-merz-strafantrag-beihilfe-gaza-israel-export |access-date=10 November 2025 |website={{ill|Legal Tribune Online|de}} |language=de |quote=In der Vergangenheit reagierte man in Karlsruhe auf derlei PR-Aktionen gelassen. Bereits Anfang 2024 hatte es eine Strafanzeige gegen Mitglieder der Ampel-Regierung wegen der Unterstützung Israels u.a. durch Waffenlieferungen gegeben. Man entschied sich gegen Ermittlungen – kein Anfangsverdacht. Dass sich an dieser Haltung etwas ändert, kann man sich kaum vorstellen. |trans-quote=In the past, officials in Karlsruhe reacted calmly to such [[public relations|PR]] activities. There had already been a criminal complaint in early 2024 against members of the [[Scholz cabinet|traffic light coalition]] because of support of Israel through weapons deliveries, among other reasons. The officials decided against investigations – no [[reasonable suspicion]]. It's hard to imagine that this stance is going to change. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251218235050/https://www.lto.de/recht/hintergruende/h/waffen-waffenlieferungen-scholz-merz-strafantrag-beihilfe-gaza-israel-export |archive-date=18 December 2025}}] The lawyers filed a similar complaint against current and former German government members in September 2025.[{{Cite web |last= |date=19 September 2025 |title=The Time for Accountability is Now: Criminal Complaint against German Government Officials for Aiding and Abetting Israel's Genocide in Gaza |url=https://elsc.support/the-time-for-accountability-is-now-criminal-complaint-against-german-government-officials-for-aiding-and-abetting-israels-genocide-in-gaza/ |access-date=10 November 2025 |website=European Legal Support Center |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251108054432/https://elsc.support/the-time-for-accountability-is-now-criminal-complaint-against-german-government-officials-for-aiding-and-abetting-israels-genocide-in-gaza/ |archive-date=8 November 2025}}]
In March 2024, the Nicaraguan government initiated proceedings against Germany at the ICJ under the Genocide Convention concerning Germany's support for Israel in the Gaza war.[{{cite news |date=1 March 2024 |title=Nicaragua files application to World Court, accusing Germany of complicity in Gaza genocide |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/nicaragua-files-application-world-court-accusing-germany-complicity-gaza |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302035942/https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/nicaragua-files-application-world-court-accusing-germany-complicity-gaza |archive-date=2 March 2024}}]{{sfn|van den Berg|2024}} It sought [[provisional measures of protection]], including resumption of suspended German funding of the [[UNRWA]] and cessation of military supplies to Israel.{{sfn|van den Berg|2024}}
In March 2024, Birchgrove Legal referred Australian Prime Minister [[Anthony Albanese]], Foreign Minister [[Penny Wong]], Opposition Leader [[Peter Dutton]], and others to the ICC as accessories to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, citing the defunding of UNRWA, the provision of military aid, and "unequivocal political support" for Israel's actions during the Gaza war.[{{Cite news |last=Wedesweiler |first=Madeleine |date=5 March 2024 |title=Anthony Albanese dismisses ICC war crimes allegations: Experts weigh in on the claims |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/anthony-albanese-dismisses-icc-war-crimes-allegations-experts-weigh-in-on-the-claims/xu4kueiql |access-date=5 March 2024 |work=[[SBS News]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305094219/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/anthony-albanese-dismisses-icc-war-crimes-allegations-experts-weigh-in-on-the-claims/xu4kueiql |archive-date=5 March 2024}}][{{Cite web |last=Rothwell |first=Donald |date=5 March 2024 |title=Why have Anthony Albanese and other politicians been referred to the ICC over the Gaza war? |url=http://theconversation.com/why-have-anthony-albanese-and-other-politicians-been-referred-to-the-icc-over-the-gaza-war-225079 |access-date=5 March 2024 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305092042/https://theconversation.com/why-have-anthony-albanese-and-other-politicians-been-referred-to-the-icc-over-the-gaza-war-225079 |archive-date=5 March 2024}}]{{Importance inline|date=November 2025}}
In November 2025, the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in [[Turkey]] issued arrest warrants for 37 Israeli suspects on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. Officials named in the Turkish indictment included Netanyahu, security minister [[Itamar Ben-Gvir]], defence minister [[Israel Katz]] (who had replaced Gallant), and IDF chief of staff [[Eyal Zamir]].[{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/07/middleeast/turkey-issues-genocide-arrest-warrant-against-netanyahu-intl-latam |title=Turkey issues 'genocide' arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other Israeli officials |newspaper=CNN |date=7 November 2025 |first1=Hira |last1=Humayun |first2=Betül |last2=Tuncer |first3=Tamar |last3=Michaelis}}]
== Responsibility of third states and other entities ==
{{See also|Complicity in genocide|Responsibility to protect}}
All UN states that are signatories to the Genocide Convention are obliged "to employ all means reasonably available to them, so as to prevent genocide so far as possible" and must not provide "means to enable or facilitate the commission of the crime".[{{cite web |last=Bastaki |first=Jinan |date=5 February 2024 |url=http://opiniojuris.org/2024/02/05/the-icjs-provisional-orders-measures-and-the-responsibility-of-third-states/ |title=The ICJ's Provisional Orders Measures and the Responsibility of Third States |website=Opinio Juris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123080634/https://opiniojuris.org/2024/02/05/the-icjs-provisional-orders-measures-and-the-responsibility-of-third-states/ |archive-date=23 November 2024}}] Multiple scholars argue that the inaction of the international community to confirmed atrocities in Gaza expose the irrelevance and weakness of the [[Responsibility to protect|Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine]].[{{harvnb|Moses|2024|pp=211–215}}: "The absence of a clear, sustained, and powerful invocation of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in response to Israel's vicious assault on Gaza reveals the fundamental weaknesses of the doctrine{{nbsp}}... We are now over three months into a military assault that many experts have labelled as a genocide (Government of South Africa Citation 2023) and the R2P has played no significant role in debates over how to respond."]{{sfn|Sirleaf|2024|p=182}}{{sfn|Verdeja|2025|p=16–18}} Many Western countries, especially the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have supported Israel by offering diplomatic, military, and intelligence support.{{sfn|Shaw|2025a|pp=416–422}}
Multiple sources — including journalists, scholars, and the [[Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory|UN officials]][{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Alisa |last2=Mehta |first2=Jonaki |last3=Jarenwattananon |first3=Patrick |date=16 September 2025 |title=Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a UN inquiry finds |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5543246/israel-genocide-gaza-united-nations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250917234926/https://www.npr.org/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5543246/israel-genocide-gaza-united-nations |archive-date=17 September 2025 |access-date=19 September 2025 |work=[[NPR]]}}][{{cite news |last=Walker |first=Michael |date=5 February 2024 |title=Former UNWRA Spokesperson Says UK & US Complicit in Gaza Genocide |url=https://novaramedia.com/2024/02/05/former-unwra-spokesperson-says-uk-us-complicit-in-gaza-genocide/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206184734/https://novaramedia.com/2024/02/05/former-unwra-spokesperson-says-uk-us-complicit-in-gaza-genocide/ |archive-date=6 February 2024 |work=[[Novara Media]]}}] — state that the actions of Western countries make them complicit in genocide.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Beaklini|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Porras|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Scahill|Grim|2024}}
| {{harvnb|Levitz|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Ayyash|2023}}
}}][{{cite news |last1=Lakhani |first1=Nina |last2=Niranjan |first2=Ajit |date=20 August 2024 |title=Countries fueling Israel's Gaza war may be complicit in war crimes, experts warn |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/20/israel-war-gaza-fuel-war-crimes-warning |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824052111/https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/20/israel-war-gaza-fuel-war-crimes-warning |archive-date=24 August 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}] Abdelwahab El-Affendi, academic in politics, describes the situation as hypocritical: "yesterday’s proponents of the 'responsibility to protect' doctrine are today’s biggest supporters of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza."[{{Cite journal |last=Teitt |first=Sarah |date=2025-06-05 |title=Israel, Gaza, and the Unrealised Promise of the Responsibility to Protect |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/gr2p/aop/article-10.1163-1875984X-20250014/article-10.1163-1875984X-20250014.xml |journal=Global Responsibility to Protect |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1163/1875984X-20250014 |issn=1875-9858}}][{{Cite web |last=El-Affendi |first=Abdelwahab |date=2023-10-31 |title=Where is the 'responsibility to protect' in Gaza? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/10/31/where-is-the-responsibility-to-protect-in-gaza |access-date=2026-01-20 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}]
The [[Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory|Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Palestine]] said, "States may be complicit in failing to prevent genocide if they do not act in compliance" with the [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel|International Court of Justice's]] orders or if they directly aid or assist in "the commission of genocide".[{{cite magazine |last1=Larson |first1=Nina |date=18 October 2024 |title=States Helping Israel's Occupation May Be 'Complicit': UN Experts |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/states-helping-israel-s-occupation-may-be-complicit-un-experts-570f4bfd |magazine=[[Barron's]] |access-date=21 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241108155907/https://www.barrons.com/news/states-helping-israel-s-occupation-may-be-complicit-un-experts-570f4bfd |archive-date=8 November 2024}}] A [[Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People|UN Special Committee]] wrote, "Failing to act now{{nbsp}}... 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."[{{harvnb|Joyce|Martel|Pahuja|2025|p=1}}: "The US has bombed Iranian nuclear sites and continues to support the Israeli genocide in Gaza by supplying of weapons and providing diplomatic cover (as does the UK and Germany)"]{{sfn|Wezeman|Djokic|George|Hussain|2024|pp=11–12}} It pays for around 15% of Israel's military budget and is its largest supplier of arms; it provided more than {{ntsp|22760000000||$}} to the war effort in its first year.{{sfn|Bachman|Ruiz|2025|p=5}} According to the [[Quincy Institute]], the destruction of Gaza is "in large part, the result of unconditional U.S. assistance and diplomatic cover".[{{cite news |title=Mind the Gap: U.S. Preferences and Israel's War Conduct |url=https://quincyinst.org/research/mind-the-gap-u-s-preferences-and-israels-war-conduct/#h-introduction |access-date=28 September 2025 |work=[[Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft]] |date=22 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250811144111/https://quincyinst.org/research/mind-the-gap-u-s-preferences-and-israels-war-conduct/#h-introduction |archive-date=11 August 2025}}]
Both the Biden and Trump administrations have denied genocide in Gaza;[{{cite magazine |last1=Zunes |first1=Stephen |title=By Rejecting Evidence of Genocide in Gaza, the US Is Following a Familiar Pattern |url=https://newlinesmag.com/essays/by-rejecting-evidence-of-genocide-in-gaza-the-us-is-following-a-familiar-pattern/ |access-date=28 September 2025 |magazine=[[New Lines Magazine]] |date=14 February 2025 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902182329/https://newlinesmag.com/essays/by-rejecting-evidence-of-genocide-in-gaza-the-us-is-following-a-familiar-pattern/ |archive-date=2 September 2025}}] Biden's support of Israel earned him the nickname "Genocide Joe".[{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Peter |title=A Bystander to '60s Protests, Biden Now Becomes a Target |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/us/politics/biden-columbia-protests-israel-antisemitism.html |access-date=19 October 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 April 2024 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250930181505/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/us/politics/biden-columbia-protests-israel-antisemitism.html |archive-date=30 September 2025}}] In February 2025, Trump [[Donald Trump's February 2025 Gaza Strip proposal|proposed an American takeover of Gaza]] and displacing the people living there, though he no longer supports this.[ According to an August opinion poll, half of US voters believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and 60% oppose further military assistance.][{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=John |title=Half of US voters believe Israel committing genocide in Gaza, poll says |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/28/half-of-us-voters-believe-israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-poll-says |access-date=28 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=28 August 2025 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251007192844/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/28/half-of-us-voters-believe-israel-committing-genocide-in-gaza-poll-says |archive-date=7 October 2025}}] Six members of the [[United States Congress|US Congress]] have recognised the genocide: [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]], [[Rashida Tlaib]], [[Summer Lee]], [[Marjorie Taylor Greene]], [[Becca Balint]] and [[Bernie Sanders]].[{{cite news |title=Bernie Sanders becomes first US senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/bernie-sanders-israel-gaza-genocide |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=17 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251008103612/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/bernie-sanders-israel-gaza-genocide |archive-date=8 October 2025}}]
=== United Kingdom ===
{{See also|United Kingdom and the Gaza war|Israel–United Kingdom relations}}
[[File:Reminding Keir Starmer that he's could be complicit in genocide (53334628181).jpg|thumb|Protester holding a sign claiming the [[Labour Party (UK)|UK Labour Party]] leader [[Keir Starmer]] (image blurred due to copyright) supports genocide]]
The British government does not give weapons to Israel directly but rather [[UK arms export|issues licences for British companies to sell them]].[{{cite news |last1=Holden |first1=Michael |last2=James |first2=William |date=3 September 2024 |title=UK suspends 30 of its 350 arms export licences to Israel |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-says-it-is-suspending-30-its-350-arms-export-licences-israel-2024-09-02/ |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240904173718/https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-says-it-is-suspending-30-its-350-arms-export-licences-israel-2024-09-02/ |archive-date=4 September 2024}}] On 12 December 2023 [[Human Rights Watch]] said that selling weapons to Israel could make the UK complicit in war crimes. UK law says licences cannot be granted when there is a clear risk the items might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.[{{cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Yasmine |date=12 December 2023 |title=Selling Weapons to Israel Could Make UK Complicit in War Crimes |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/12/selling-weapons-israel-could-make-uk-complicit-war-crimes |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]] |access-date=11 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218005339/https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/12/12/selling-weapons-israel-could-make-uk-complicit-war-crimes |archive-date=18 December 2023}}] [[James Denselow]] of [[Save the Children UK]] said, "By failing to push for a permanent end to the fighting or speak out against the weaponisation of aid, [[Rishi Sunak]] and [[Sunak ministry|his government]] are complicit in the horror that is unfolding."[{{cite web |date=8 December 2023 |title=STATEMENT: 'We are failing the Children of Gaza' |url=https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/conditions-to-provide-humanitarian-assistance-to-children-in-gaz |website=[[Save the Children]] |access-date=11 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215080729/https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/conditions-to-provide-humanitarian-assistance-to-children-in-gaz |archive-date=15 December 2023}}] In December 2023, Scottish First Minister [[Humza Yousaf]] condemned the UK's abstention from a draft UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying this would lead to the deaths of more children.[{{cite news |date=10 December 2023 |title=Humza Yousaf says UK 'complicit' in killing Gaza children |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/humza-yousaf-says-uk-complicit-killing-gaza-children |work=[[The New Arab]] |access-date=11 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215080728/https://www.newarab.com/news/humza-yousaf-says-uk-complicit-killing-gaza-children |archive-date=15 December 2023}}]
In April 2024, [[Guy Goodwin-Gill]], a professor of international law at Oxford University, said: "There is a serious risk of genocide, as the International Court of Justice has found. If the UK, with that knowledge in mind, carries on exporting arms to Israel, there is a risk that those arms will be used in the conduct of aggressive activities and in the conduct of genocide."[{{cite news |last1=Adler |first1=Nils |last2=Najjar |first2=Farah |date=4 April 2024 |title='The risk must be taken into account now' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/4/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-accused-of-ai-assisted-genocide-in-gaza?update=2817755 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |access-date=16 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416141416/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/4/4/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-accused-of-ai-assisted-genocide-in-gaza?update=2817755 |archive-date=16 April 2024}}] The same month, hundreds of lawyers and legal academics published a legal opinion warning that the government risked complicity in genocide by continuing to arm Israel.{{sfn|Lawless|2024}}[{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Faye |date=4 April 2024 |url=https://news.sky.com/story/uk-is-breaching-international-law-by-continuing-to-arm-israel-sunak-warned-13107474 |title=UK is breaching international law by continuing to arm Israel, Sunak warned |newspaper=[[Sky News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240416214420/https://news.sky.com/story/amp/uk-is-breaching-international-law-by-continuing-to-arm-israel-sunak-warned-13107474 |archive-date=16 April 2024}}]
On 2{{nbsp}}September 2024, Foreign Secretary [[David Lammy]] announced he was suspending approximately 30 arms export licences to Israel after a government review concluded there was a high risk these exports were being used for severe violations of international humanitarian law.[{{cite news |last=Cecil |first=Nicholas |date=2 September 2024 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/uk-arms-exports-israel-gaza-hamas-david-lammy-b1179628.html |newspaper=[[Evening Standard]] |title=UK suspends 30 arms export licences to Israel over Gaza war including for fighter aircraft and drone spares |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909043215/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/uk-arms-exports-israel-gaza-hamas-david-lammy-b1179628.html |archive-date=9 September 2024}}] At the time of the suspension, Israel had around 350 arms export licences in the UK.[{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lucy |date=2 September 2024 |url=https://www.ft.com/content/bac169fb-4d28-4729-85e8-a13a197b0368 |title=UK to halt exports of some arms to Israel citing possible law breaches |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240903075212/https://www.ft.com/content/bac169fb-4d28-4729-85e8-a13a197b0368 |archive-date=3 September 2024}}]
On 3{{nbsp}}September 2025, the [[Scottish Government]] announced a ban on funding to "arms companies whose products or services are provided to countries where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed", including Israel.[{{cite news |last=Pollock |first=Laura |date=3 September 2025 |title=Scottish Government announces range of measures against Israel |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/25438714.scottish-government-announces-range-measures-israel/ |access-date=5 September 2025 |work=[[The National (Scotland)|The National]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251204102140/https://www.thenational.scot/news/25438714.scottish-government-announces-range-measures-israel/ |archive-date=4 December 2025}}] The [[Scottish Parliament]] also voted for a boycott of Israel and any companies providing it military support.[{{cite news |last=Brawn |first=Steph |date=3 September 2025 |title=Scottish Parliament votes for immediate boycott of Israel |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/25439517.msps-vote-full-boycott-israel/ |access-date=5 September 2025 |work=[[The National (Scotland)|The National]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260103122232/https://www.thenational.scot/news/25439517.msps-vote-full-boycott-israel/ |archive-date=3 January 2026}}]
==== Lawsuit over export licences ====
The human rights groups [[Al-Haq]] and Global Legal Action Network took legal action against the British government in December 2023, saying that the government risked violating the Genocide Convention by granting export licences for the sale of military equipment to Israel.[{{cite news |last=Abdul |first=Geneva |date=6 December 2023 |title=UK government faces legal challenge over arms exports to Israel |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/06/uk-government-faces-legal-challenge-over-arms-exports-to-israel |access-date=11 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213060015/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/06/uk-government-faces-legal-challenge-over-arms-exports-to-israel |archive-date=13 December 2023}}]
In May 2025, a hearing began at the [[High Court of Justice]] to determine whether the UK had violated arms export control laws by continuing to supply Israel with components for [[F-35]] fighter jets even after other licences were suspended. At the hearing, government lawyers argued that UK-made parts enter a global spares pool rather than being shipped directly to Israel, where it is "generally not possible to determine who the end user would be" and that suspending them "would have a critical impact on international peace and security, including NATO's defence and deterrence".[{{cite news |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Wintour |date=12 May 2025 |title=UK's F-35 exports more important than stopping genocide, lawyers to argue |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/12/uks-f-35-exports-more-important-than-stopping-genocide-lawyers-to-argue |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250517022020/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/12/uks-f-35-exports-more-important-than-stopping-genocide-lawyers-to-argue |archive-date=17 May 2025}}][{{cite news |date=12 May 2025 |title=UK to argue F-35 exports outweighs Gaza genocide risk in landmark case |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/uk-will-argue-f-35-exports-outweighs-gaza-genocide-risk |newspaper=[[The New Arab]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250513144120/https://www.newarab.com/news/uk-will-argue-f-35-export-outweighs-gaza-genocide-risk |archive-date=13 May 2025}}]
On 30 June 2025, the court dismissed the claim, holding the "F-35 carve out" lawful; it added that some aspects of the challenge were "not for a domestic court to decide" and that the carve-out's "true nature" was that the UK would "not cease to participate in the F-35 Programme", even though some UK components would ultimately reach Israel.[{{Cite web |date=30 June 2025 |title=Al-Haq -v- Secretary of State for Business and Trade |url=https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/al-haq-v-secretary-of-state-for-business-and-trade-2/ |access-date=8 November 2025 |website=Courts and Tribunals Judiciary |language=en-UK |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251114101626/https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/al-haq-v-secretary-of-state-for-business-and-trade-2/ |archive-date=14 November 2025}}]
=== Germany ===
{{see also|German support for Israel in the Gaza war}}
In October 2023, political analyst Lena Obermaier argued that Germany is complicit in Israel's war crimes against Gaza.[{{cite magazine |last=Obermaier |first=Lena |date=23 October 2023 |title=Germany Is Complicit in Israel's War Crimes in Gaza |url=https://jacobin.com/2023/10/germany-israel-war-crimes-gaza-palestine-international-law |magazine=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301181227/https://jacobin.com/2023/10/germany-israel-war-crimes-gaza-palestine-international-law |archive-date=1 March 2024}}] She detailed how most of Germany's most prominent news outlets have "been silent on Israeli genocidal policies". She also highlighted police suppression of pro-Palestine protests[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{cite news |date=16 October 2023 |title=Berlin police break up banned pro-Palestinian rally |url=https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-police-break-up-banned-pro-palestinian-rally/a-67104373 |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221073758/https://www.dw.com/en/berlin-police-break-up-banned-pro-palestinian-rally/a-67104373 |archive-date=21 February 2024}}
| {{harvnb|Jamal|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Sharma|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Marsh|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Schaer|2023}}
| {{harvnb|Boffey|2023}}
| {{cite news |date=30 December 2023 |title=Police in Berlin ban pro-Palestinian New Year rally |url=https://www.dw.com/en/police-in-berlin-ban-pro-palestinian-new-year-rally/a-67858991 |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222200733/https://www.dw.com/en/police-in-berlin-ban-pro-palestinian-new-year-rally/a-67858991 |archive-date=22 February 2024}}
}}] as evidence of state complicity.[{{cite magazine |last=Kuras |first=Peter |date=18 July 2023 |title=The Strange Logic of Germany's Antisemitism Bureaucrats |url=https://jewishcurrents.org/the-strange-logic-of-germanys-antisemitism-bureaucrats |access-date=28 November 2024 |magazine=[[Jewish Currents]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217184503/https://jewishcurrents.org/the-strange-logic-of-germanys-antisemitism-bureaucrats |archive-date=17 December 2024}}] Publicly accusing Israel of genocide can lead to arrest in Germany, even when the accusers are Jewish or Israeli.[{{cite magazine |last=Varoufakis |first=Yanis |author-link=Yanis Varoufakis |date=17 April 2024 |title=Why I was banned from Germany |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/diary/2024/04/cancelled-germany-yanis-varoufakis-israel-palestine |access-date=28 November 2024 |magazine=[[New Statesman]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219043511/https://www.newstatesman.com/diary/2024/04/cancelled-germany-yanis-varoufakis-israel-palestine |archive-date=19 December 2024}}][{{cite news |date=14 October 2024 |title=Gaza und das Grundgesetz |trans-title=Gaza and the Basic Law |url=https://www.fr.de/kultur/gesellschaft/gaza-und-das-grundgesetz-93373670.html |access-date=28 November 2024 |work=[[Frankfurter Rundschau]] |language=de |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203090254/https://www.fr.de/kultur/gesellschaft/gaza-und-das-grundgesetz-93373670.html |archive-date=3 December 2024}}] In February 2024 a criminal complaint was filed in German courts accusing various senior politicians of complicity in genocide.[{{cite news |last1=MacRedmond |first1=David |last2=Matthews |first2=Jane |date=15 July 2025 |title='Political cowardice': EU foreign ministers refuse to suspend trade agreement with Israel |url=https://www.thejournal.ie/eu-israel-trade-deal-6763140-Jul2025/ |work=[[TheJournal.ie]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250716061712/https://www.thejournal.ie/eu-israel-trade-deal-6763140-Jul2025/ |archive-date=16 July 2025}}][{{cite web |date=15 July 2025 |title=European Union's refusal to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement is a 'cruel and unlawful betrayal' |url=https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/european-unions-refusal-suspend-eu-israel-association-agreement-cruel-and-unlawful |publisher=[[Amnesty International]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250716055856/https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/european-unions-refusal-suspend-eu-israel-association-agreement-cruel-and-unlawful |archive-date=16 July 2025}}] {{ill|The Rights Forum|nl|The Rights Forum}} said the decision was "shameless complicity in genocide".[{{cite news |last=Bosma |first=Freyan |date=15 July 2025 |title='Moreel faillissement van onze buitenlandpolitiek': organisaties woedend over uitblijven EU-sancties tegen Israël |url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/07/15/morele-faillissement-van-onze-buitenlandpolitiek-organisaties-woedend-over-uitblijven-eu-sancties-tegen-israel-a4900375 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250716054436/https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/07/15/morele-faillissement-van-onze-buitenlandpolitiek-organisaties-woedend-over-uitblijven-eu-sancties-tegen-israel-a4900375 |archive-date=16 July 2025 |work=[[NRC (newspaper)|NRC]] |language=nl}}] In March 2024, [[Oxfam]] released a statement detailing its intention, alongside several other non-governmental organisations,{{#tag:ref|{{#invoke:list|bulleted|Amnesty International|[[Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke]]|[[Al-Haq]]}}|group=lower-alpha}} to sue Denmark to prevent arms sales to Israel, warning that by selling arms Denmark is "complicit in violations of international humanitarian law{{nbsp}}... and a plausible genocide".{{sfn|Oxfam|2024}}[{{cite news |last1=Mohamed |first1=Edna |last2=Siddiqui |first2=Usaid |date=12 March 2024 |title=Aid organisations sue Denmark to stop arms sales to Israel |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/12/israels-war-on-gaza-live-2000-medical-staff-starving-in-north-ministry?update=2767974 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312142511/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/3/12/israels-war-on-gaza-live-2000-medical-staff-starving-in-north-ministry?update=2767974 |archive-date=12 March 2024 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}]
=== Egypt ===
{{see also|Egypt and the Gaza war|Egypt–Israel relations}}
Egypt has been accused of complicity in genocide for its enforcement of the blockade on Gaza and refusal to open the [[Rafah Border Crossing]].[{{cite magazine |last=Mahmoud |first=Omar |date=20 June 2024 |title=Why Egypt Is Complicit in the Genocide in Gaza |url=https://jacobin.com/2024/06/egypt-palestine-gaza-genocide-al-sisi |access-date=21 June 2025 |magazine=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250619122052/https://jacobin.com/2024/06/egypt-palestine-gaza-genocide-al-sisi |archive-date=19 June 2025}}][{{cite news |last=Sabry |first=Mohannad |date=26 January 2024 |title=After ICJ rule, will Egypt end its complicity with Israel starving Gaza? |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/icj-rule-egypt-end-complicity-israel-starving-gaza-will |access-date=21 June 2025 |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621085824/https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/icj-rule-egypt-end-complicity-israel-starving-gaza-will |archive-date=21 June 2025}}] In April 2025, [[Cage (organisation)|Cage]] and five other African advocacy organisations filed a complaint with the [[African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights]].{{sfn|Cage|2025}} Egypt is not permitted to turn people away at its borders if doing so would expose them to life-threatening conditions or collective punishment, as this would violate its obligations under the [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]] and the [[Convention Against Torture]].[{{cite journal |last=Hathaway |first=James C. |date=25 October 2023 |title=Trapped in Gaza |url=https://verfassungsblog.de/trapped-in-gaza/ |journal=[[Verfassungsblog]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250704134620/https://verfassungsblog.de/trapped-in-gaza/ |archive-date=4 July 2025}}][{{cite magazine |last=Edwards |first=Alice Jill |date=30 April 2024 |title=Egypt Is Obliged to Let Gaza Refugees In |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/30/gaza-refugees-egypt-border-palestine/ |magazine=[[Foreign Policy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621212522/https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/04/30/gaza-refugees-egypt-border-palestine/ |archive-date=21 June 2025}}] Egypt was also accused of complicity with Israel for its crackdown on the [[Global March to Gaza]].[{{cite news |date=12 June 2025 |title=Egypt slammed for its treatment of foreign nationals doing Global March for Gaza |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/trending/egypt-slammed-treatment-foreign-nationals-joining-global-march-gaza |access-date=23 June 2025 |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250621011406/https://www.middleeasteye.net/trending/egypt-slammed-treatment-foreign-nationals-joining-global-march-gaza |archive-date=21 June 2025}}]
Egypt has said that its closure of the Rafah crossing is done in opposition to Israeli plans to displace Palestinians.[{{cite web |last1=El-Menawy |first1=Abdellatif |title=Why Egypt Refuses To Administer Gaza – OpEd |url=https://www.eurasiareview.com/17032025-why-egypt-refuses-to-administer-gaza-oped/ |website=Eurasia Review |date=17 March 2025 |access-date=19 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250515171810/https://www.eurasiareview.com/17032025-why-egypt-refuses-to-administer-gaza-oped/ |archive-date=15 May 2025 |url-status=live}}] and formally supported South Africa's genocide case against Israel.[{{Cite news|date=12 May 2024 |title=Egypt to support South Africa's genocide case against Israel at ICJ |url=https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240512-🔴-live-israel-steps-up-strikes-in-gaza-after-issuing-new-rafah-evacuation-order |work=[[France 24]] |access-date=27 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250127151805/https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240512-%F0%9F%94%B4-live-israel-steps-up-strikes-in-gaza-after-issuing-new-rafah-evacuation-order |archive-date=27 January 2025}}]
=== Italy ===
{{see also|Israel–Italy relations}}
On 7 October 2025, Prime Minister [[Giorgia Meloni]] said in an interview with ''[[RAI|RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana]]'' that a pro-Palestinian advocacy group had reported her, Defence Minister [[Guido Crosetto]], Foreign Minister [[Antonio Tajani]], and [[Leonardo (company)|Leonardo]] director [[Roberto Cingolani]] to the International Criminal Court for alleged complicity in the genocide.[{{cite news |last=Amante |first=Angelo |date=8 October 2025 |title= Italy's Meloni says she has been denounced to ICC for complicity in genocide |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/italy-pm-meloni-says-been-denounced-icc-complicity-genocide-2025-10-07/ |access-date=8 October 2025 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251008014513/https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/italy-pm-meloni-says-been-denounced-icc-complicity-genocide-2025-10-07/ |archive-date=8 October 2025}}][{{cite news |title=Meloni says accused of 'complicity in genocide' at world court |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1480226/meloni-says-accused-of-complicity-in-genocide-at-world-court.html |work=[[L'Orient–Le Jour|L'Orient Today]] |date=8 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251008130430/https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1480226/meloni-says-accused-of-complicity-in-genocide-at-world-court.html |archive-date=8 October 2025 |access-date=8 October 2025}}] The complaint, which was signed by 50 people, including law professors, lawyers, and several public figures, was filed on 1 October. It accused Meloni's government of complicity for supplying arms to Israel and urged the ICC to evaluate whether a formal investigation into the allegation could be initiated.[{{cite news |date=8 October 2025 |title= Giorgia Meloni says she has been accused of complicity in Gaza genocide at ICC court |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/meloni-says-accused-complicity-gaza-genocide-icc-court|access-date=8 October 2025 |work=[[The New Arab]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251008015303/https://www.newarab.com/news/meloni-accused-complicity-gaza-genocide-icc-court |archive-date=8 October 2025}}] As of May 2025, Italy was the third-largest supplier of weaponry to Israel, representing around 1% of Israel's weaponry imports.[{{Cite web |date=26 May 2025 |title=Italy's Quiet Role in Arming Israel Amid Conflict |url=https://unipd-centrodirittiumani.it/en/news/italys-quiet-role-in-arming-israel-amid-conflict |access-date=15 October 2025 |website=Centro di Ateneo per i Diritti Umani |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251008173836/https://unipd-centrodirittiumani.it/en/news/italys-quiet-role-in-arming-israel-amid-conflict |archive-date=8 October 2025}}]{{sfn|Wezeman|Djokic|George|Hussain|2024}} Despite the Italian government's claims that weaponry supplement to Israel had been interrupted, [[Leonardo (company)|Leonardo]], one of Italy's biggest arms companies, confirmed that the Italian government and Italian companies still export arms to Israel.[{{Cite news |last=Facchini |first=Duccio |date=1 October 2025 |title=Leonardo ammette l'export di armi in Israele e fa cadere la maschera del governo |url=https://altreconomia.it/leonardo-ammette-lexport-di-armi-in-israele-e-fa-cadere-la-maschera-del-governo/ |access-date=5 November 2025 |work={{ill|Altreconomia|it}} |language=it}}] Francesca Albanese directly called Italy an accomplice in the Gaza genocide.[{{Cite news |last=Pivitera |first=Greta |date=31 October 2025 |title=Francesca Albanese, nuova bufera. In un report accusa l'Italia all'Onu: «Complice di genocidio» |trans-title=Francesca Albanese, new controversy. In a report, she accuses Italy to the UN: "Complicit in genocide." |url=https://www.corriere.it/esteri/25_ottobre_30/francesca-albanese-genocidio-bufera-4948dc1d-2d3f-4ccd-a5e2-7e74be19dxlk.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251117003831/https://www.corriere.it/esteri/25_ottobre_30/francesca-albanese-genocidio-bufera-4948dc1d-2d3f-4ccd-a5e2-7e74be19dxlk.shtml |access-date=5 November 2025 |archive-date=17 November 2025 |work=[[Corriere della Sera]] |language=it}}]
=== Private sector and media ===
{{See also|List of companies involved in the Gaza war}}
Multiple corporations have been accused of profiting from the Gaza genocide.[{{cite magazine |last=Ackerman |first=Spencer |author-link=Spencer Ackerman |date=9 July 2024 |title=These Corporations Are the True "Winners" of the War on Gaza |magazine=[[The Nation]] |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/gaza-war-profiteers-corporations/ |access-date=16 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250422070627/https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/gaza-war-profiteers-corporations/ |archive-date=22 April 2025}}]{{sfn|Albanese|2025|pp=1–2}} Executives from [[Lockheed Martin]], [[General Dynamics]], and [[RTX Corporation]] have described the war in Gaza as a source of increased profits.[{{cite news |last=Goodkind |first=Nicole |date=18 October 2023 |title=What the Israel-Hamas war means for defense stocks |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/18/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html |access-date=14 May 2025 |work=[[CNN]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319234048/https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/18/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html |archive-date=19 March 2025}}][{{cite magazine |last=French |first=Nick |title=The Obscene US Profiteering From Israeli War and Occupation |url=https://jacobin.com/2024/03/gaza-profits-bds-weapons-corporations/ |magazine=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |access-date=18 May 2025 |date=16 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250723130413/https://jacobin.com/2024/03/gaza-profits-bds-weapons-corporations |archive-date=23 July 2025}}]
On 20{{nbsp}}June 2024, UN experts warned that continued arms transfers to Israel could amount to violations of international law and risk state and corporate complicity in potential genocide. They called for an immediate halt to all weapons transfers to Israel, including by such major arms manufacturers as [[BAE Systems]], [[Boeing]], Lockheed Martin, and [[Caterpillar Inc.|Caterpillar]]. They also warned institutions investing in these companies, such as [[Bank of America]], [[BlackRock]], [[Citigroup]], and [[Wells Fargo]].{{sfn|OHCHR|2024c}}
In June 2025, a UN expert's report named [[Alphabet (company)|Alphabet]], [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], [[Microsoft]], and [[IBM]] as "central to Israel's surveillance apparatus and the ongoing Gaza destruction", and [[Palantir Technologies|Palantir]] as a source of AI tools for the Israeli military.[{{cite news |last1=Farge |first1=Emma |date=1 July 2025 |title='Lucrative' business deals help sustain Israel's Gaza campaign, UN expert says |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/lucrative-business-deals-help-sustain-israels-gaza-campaign-un-expert-says-2025-07-01/ |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=[[Reuters]] |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250701174630/https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/lucrative-business-deals-help-sustain-israels-gaza-campaign-un-expert-says-2025-07-01/ |archive-date=1 July 2025}}] The report also named [[Allianz]], [[Barclays]], BlackRock, and [[BNP Paribas]] for [[underwriting]] and purchasing Israeli government bonds, which the UN said are the main source of financing for Israel's military expenditures.[{{cite news |last1=Yan |first1=Sophia |date=1 July 2025 |title=British companies named and shamed by UN for profiting from Israeli 'genocide' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/01/british-companies-profiting-israeli-genocide-un-gaza-shamed/ |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250701173739/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/07/01/british-companies-profiting-israeli-genocide-un-gaza-shamed/ |archive-date=1 July 2025}}] Scholars, journalists, media analysts and human rights advocates have accused various media outlets of [[Complicity in genocide|complicity]] through [[media imperialism]].[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{harvnb|Moallem|2023|pp=542–543}}
| {{harvnb|Qutami|2023|p=532}}
| {{harvnb|Khouri|2023}}
| {{Cite news |date=29 June 2025 |title=Western media enabling Gaza genocide and rewriting history, say experts |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/experts-say-western-media-enabling-gaza-genocide-and-rewriting-history |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=[[Middle East Eye]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250724122831/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/experts-say-western-media-enabling-gaza-genocide-and-rewriting-history |archive-date=24 July 2025}}
}}]
== Political discourse ==
=== World leaders and governments ===
{{main|Gaza genocide recognition}}
[[File:International recognition of Gaza genocide.svg|thumb|upright=1.6|Positions of national governments on whether Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza war{{legend|#4daf4a|Agree}}{{legend|#003657|Disagree}}{{Legend|#00FFBF|Unclear}}{{Legend|#FF00B8|Defer to the ruling in the [[International Court of Justice|ICJ]] case [[South Africa's genocide case against Israel|''South Africa v. Israel'']]}}{{Legend|#cfcfcf|No data}}]]Several Western governments (notably the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany) reject calling Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide.[{{cite news |title=US says genocide charges 'unfounded,' rejects Israeli claim South Africa serving Hamas |url-status=live |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-says-genocide-charges-unfounded-rejects-israeli-claim-south-africa-serving-hamas/ |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251007134138/https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-says-genocide-charges-unfounded-rejects-israeli-claim-south-africa-serving-hamas/ |archive-date=7 October 2025 |access-date=7 October 2025}}][{{cite news |title=Canadian, UK leaders reject premise of ICJ genocide case against Israel |url-status=live |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/canadian-uk-leaders-reject-premise-of-icj-genocide-case-against-israel/ |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |date=13 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251007134857/https://www.timesofisrael.com/canadian-uk-leaders-reject-premise-of-icj-genocide-case-against-israel/ |archive-date=7 October 2025 |access-date=7 October 2025}}][{{cite news |title=Germany Rejects UN 'Genocide' Charge Against Israel |url-status=live |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/germany-rejects-un-genocide-charge-against-israel-6af01195 |work=[[Barron's]] |date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251007133425/https://www.barrons.com/news/germany-rejects-un-genocide-charge-against-israel-6af01195 |archive-date=7 October 2025 |access-date=7 October 2025}}] Belgium, Norway, and Canada have said they will abide by or await the ICJ's judgment rather than take a definitive stance.[{{cite news |last1=Shankar |first1=Priyanka |title=Why has Belgium vowed to back the ICJ's verdict on Gaza 'genocide'? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/23/why-has-belgium-vowed-to-back-the-icjs-verdict-on-gaza-genocide |access-date=19 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=23 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123132241/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/23/why-has-belgium-vowed-to-back-the-icjs-verdict-on-gaza-genocide |archive-date=23 January 2024 |url-status=live}}][{{cite news |title=Barth Eide: Vi må lytte til Sør-Afrika |url=https://www.utrop.no/nyheter/verden/358554/ |access-date=19 September 2025 |work=[[Utrop]] |date=2 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240914121508/https://www.utrop.no/nyheter/verden/358554/ |archive-date=14 September 2024 |language=Norwegian |url-status=live |trans-title=Barth Eide: We must listen to South Africa}}][{{cite news |last1=Dyer |first1=Evan |title=After days of confusion, Trudeau government says it will abide by ICJ on genocide case against Israel |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/israel-gaza-genocide-international-court-justice-hague-south-africa-1.7084682 |access-date=19 September 2025 |work=[[CBC News]] |date=16 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119051646/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/israel-gaza-genocide-international-court-justice-hague-south-africa-1.7084682 |archive-date=19 January 2024 |url-status=live}}]
A large group of states, especially in the [[Islamic world]], most of Africa, Latin America, and some European countries, explicitly describe Israel's actions as genocide and/or have joined or supported South Africa's ICJ case.[{{cite news |last1=Imray |first1=Gerald |title=Genocide case against Israel: Where does the rest of the world stand on the momentous allegations? |url-status=live |url=https://apnews.com/article/genocide-israel-palestinians-gaza-court-fbd7fe4af10b542a1a4e2c7563029bfb |access-date=21 August 2025 |work=[[Associated Press]] |date=13 January 2024 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907121752/https://apnews.com/article/genocide-israel-palestinians-gaza-court-fbd7fe4af10b542a1a4e2c7563029bfb |archive-date=7 September 2025}}] These include Ghana,[{{Cite web |last=Adam |first=Gamel Nasser |date=4 November 2025 |title=Re: Israeli Ambassador to Ghana rejects Ablakwa's 'Gaza genocide' tag |url=https://www.myjoyonline.com/re-israeli-ambassador-to-ghana-rejects-ablakwas-gaza-genocide-tag/ |access-date=14 November 2025 |website=MyJoyOnline}}] Turkey,[{{Cite news |last1=Alsaafin |first1=Linah |last2=Osgood |first2=Brian |date=9 February 2024 |title=Netanyahu orders military to submit action plan for Rafah assault |url-status=live |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/9/israels-war-on-gaza-live-fear-in-rafah-as-israel-prepares-ground-attack |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250924022406/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/9/israels-war-on-gaza-live-fear-in-rafah-as-israel-prepares-ground-attack |archive-date=24 September 2025}}] Malaysia,[{{Cite news |date=19 May 2024 |title=Malaysian PM: Can't deny US complicity in Gaza genocide |url-status=live |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/video/talk-to-al-jazeera/2024/5/19/malaysian-pm-cant-deny-us-complicity-in-gaza-genocide |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250703060444/https://www.aljazeera.com/video/talk-to-al-jazeera/2024/5/19/malaysian-pm-cant-deny-us-complicity-in-gaza-genocide |archive-date=3 July 2025}}] Egypt,[{{Cite news |date=5 August 2025 |title=President of Egypt accuses Israel of 'systematic genocide' |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/8/5/president-of-egypt-accuses-israel-of-systematic |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250902164140/https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/8/5/president-of-egypt-accuses-israel-of-systematic |url-status=live |archive-date=2 September 2025}}] Brazil,[{{Cite web |date=25 October 2023 |title=President Lula says war in the Middle East is genocide |url-status=live |url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/politica/noticia/2023-10/president-lula-says-war-middle-east-genocide |access-date=18 September 2025 |website=[[Agência Brasil]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250913170107/https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/politica/noticia/2023-10/president-lula-says-war-middle-east-genocide |archive-date=13 September 2025}}] Chile,[{{Cite news |date=25 September 2024 |title=Gabriel Boric: "Me rebelo ante quienes pretenden que elijamos entre el terrorismo de Hamas y el genocidio de Israel" |trans-title=Gabriel Boric: "I rebel against those who want us to choose between Hamas's terrorism and Israel's genocide." |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2024/09/25/gabriel-boric-me-rebelo-ante-quienes-pretenden-que-elijamos-entre-el-terrorismo-de-hamas-y-el-genocidio-de-israel/ |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[Infobae]] |language=es-ES |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251004000422/https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2024/09/25/gabriel-boric-me-rebelo-ante-quienes-pretenden-que-elijamos-entre-el-terrorismo-de-hamas-y-el-genocidio-de-israel/ |archive-date=4 October 2025}}] Colombia,[{{Cite news |date=2 November 2023 |title='Genocide', Colombia says as Latin American states condemn Israel over Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/2/genocide-colombia-says-as-latin-american-states-condemn-israel-over-gaza |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240709233519/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/2/genocide-colombia-says-as-latin-american-states-condemn-israel-over-gaza |archive-date=9 July 2024}}] Spain,[{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Joseph |date=6 June 2024 |title=Spain applies to join South Africa's case at top UN court accusing Israel of genocide |url-status=live |url=https://apnews.com/article/spain-israel-icj-genocide-case-67d4d9b8ecf6fd88e718319a5d93465a |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[Associated Press]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916105634/https://apnews.com/article/spain-israel-icj-genocide-case-67d4d9b8ecf6fd88e718319a5d93465a |archive-date=16 September 2025}}] Ireland,[{{Cite news |date=7 November 2024 |title=Irish parliament passes motion that Israel is 'perpetrating genocide in Gaza' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/micheal-martin-ireland-irish-south-africa-gaza-b2643121.html |access-date=18 September 2025 |work=[[The Independent]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251026145404/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/micheal-martin-ireland-irish-south-africa-gaza-b2643121.html |archive-date=26 October 2025}}] and Slovenia.[{{Cite web |date=21 May 2025 |title=President calls out Israel for genocide |url-status=live |url=https://sloveniatimes.com/43569/president-calls-out-israel-for-genocide |access-date=18 September 2025 |website=sloveniatimes.com |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250921043617/https://sloveniatimes.com/43569/president-calls-out-israel-for-genocide |archive-date=21 September 2025}}] On November 7, 2025, Turkey issued arrest warrants for genocide against Netanyahu and 36 colleagues.[{{Cite news |date=7 November 2025 |title=Turkey issues genocide arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/07/turkey-issues-genocide-arrest-warrant-against-benjamin-netanyahu |access-date=8 November 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251225034250/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/07/turkey-issues-genocide-arrest-warrant-against-benjamin-netanyahu |archive-date=25 December 2025}}]
The [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]] (OIC), the [[Arab League]], and the [[African Union]] have collectively endorsed the characterisation of Israel's actions as genocide and called for accountability and measures such as ending arms transfers.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{cite news |date=5 May 2024 |title=Islamic Cooperation Denounces Gaza 'Genocide', Urges Sanctions Against Israel |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/islamic-cooperation-denounces-gaza-genocide-urges-sanctions-against-israel-c8c7ac87 |magazine=[[Barron's]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |access-date=10 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510024352/https://www.barrons.com/news/islamic-cooperation-denounces-gaza-genocide-urges-sanctions-against-israel-c8c7ac87 |archive-date=10 May 2024}}
| {{cite news |title=Arab, Islamic countries condemn Netanyahu's 'Greater Israel' remark |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/16/arab-islamic-countries-condemn-netanyahus-greater-israel-remark |access-date=17 August 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |date=16 August 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250821081232/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/16/arab-islamic-countries-condemn-netanyahus-greater-israel-remark |archive-date=21 August 2025}}
| {{harvnb|Maina|2025}}
| {{Cite web |date=28 February 2024 |title=The African Union Delivered its Oral Statement Before the International Court of Justice for the Palestine Advisory Opinion Proceedings |url=https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20240228/african-union-delivered-its-oral-statement-international-court-justice |url-status=live |access-date=10 September 2025 |website=[[African Union]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251007135410/https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20240228/african-union-delivered-its-oral-statement-international-court-justice |archive-date=7 October 2025}}
}}] In January 2025, the [[Hague Group]] convened in [[Bogotá]] with the aim to uphold international rulings on Gaza, end arms shipments to Israel and build a pathway to broader recognition of Palestinian statehood.[{{Cite news |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |author-link=Patrick Wintour |date=31 January 2025 |title=South Africa and Malaysia to launch campaign to protect international justice |url=https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jan/31/south-africa-and-malaysia-to-launch-campaign-to-protect-justice |access-date=4 November 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251114194030/https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jan/31/south-africa-and-malaysia-to-launch-campaign-to-protect-justice |archive-date=14 November 2025}}]
=== Non-governmental organisations and intergovernmental organisations ===
{{main|List of humanitarian and human rights groups accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza}}
Numerous non-governmental organisations and intergovernmental organisations have accused Israel of genocide. Among the first to warn of a risk of genocide, in mid-October 2023, were [[Genocide Watch]] and the [[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]].[{{cite web |date=13 October 2023 |title=Active Genocide Alert – Israel-Palestine: There is No Justification for Genocide |url=https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/genocide-emergency-alert-israel-and-gaza |url-status=live |publisher=[[Genocide Watch]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112112817/https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/genocide-emergency-alert-israel-and-gaza |archive-date=12 January 2024}}][{{cite web |date=17 October 2023 |title=Genocide Emergency Alert: Israel and Gaza |url=https://www.lemkininstitute.com/active-genocide-alert-1/active-genocide-alert---israel-palestine%3A-there-is-no-justification-for-genocide |url-status=live |publisher=[[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227220339/https://www.lemkininstitute.com/active-genocide-alert-1/active-genocide-alert---israel-palestine%3A-there-is-no-justification-for-genocide |archive-date=27 December 2023}}] Several Palestinian human rights groups, including [[Defence for Children International]] (DCI),[{{Cite news |last1=Mohamed |first1=Edna |last2=Stepansky |first2=Joseph |last3=Najjar |first3=Farah |date=1 November 2023 |title=Rights group accuses US of complicity in children's deaths in Gaza |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/11/1/israel-hamas-war-live-anger-grows-over-israeli-attack-on-gaza-refugee-camp?update=2455675 |access-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102022100/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/11/1/israel-hamas-war-live-anger-grows-over-israeli-attack-on-gaza-refugee-camp?update=2455675 |archive-date=2 November 2023}}] [[Al-Haq]], [[Al Mezan Center for Human Rights|Al Mezan]], and the [[Palestinian Centre for Human Rights]], have filed lawsuits alleging a genocide.[{{#invoke:list|bulleted|
| {{Cite news |date=21 October 2023 |title=Scholars, civil society call on ICC Prosecutor to issue arrest warrants, investigate Israeli crimes in Gaza |publisher=[[Wafa]] |url=https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/138509 |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026192122/https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/138509 |archive-date=26 October 2023}}
| {{Cite news |date=9 November 2023 |title=ICC receives lawsuit over Israel's 'apartheid', 'genocide' in Gaza |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/three-rights-groups-file-icc-lawsuit-against-israel-over-gaza-genocide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125014617/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/9/three-rights-groups-file-icc-lawsuit-against-israel-over-gaza-genocide |archive-date=25 November 2023 |access-date=9 November 2023 |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |language=en}}
| {{harvnb|Al-Haq et al.|2023}}
| {{cite web |date=20 October 2023 |title=Reprint of the full letter and signatories |url=https://www.addameer.org/news/5172 |website=[[Addameer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103181141/https://www.addameer.org/news/5172 |archive-date=3 November 2023}}
}}] Some Israeli human rights organisations, such as [[B'Tselem]]{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|pp=4, 86}} and [[Physicians for Human Rights–Israel]], released reports calling Israel's campaign in Gaza a genocide.[{{cite news |last1=Kottasová |first1=Ivana |last2=Salman |first2=Abeer |date=28 July 2025 |title=For first time, two leading Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/28/middleeast/israeli-human-rights-group-accuses-israel-genocide-gaza-intl |access-date=28 July 2025 |work=[[CNN]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250728161018/https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/28/middleeast/israeli-human-rights-group-accuses-israel-genocide-gaza-intl |archive-date=28 July 2025}}][{{Cite web |date=28 July 2025 |title=Genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Genocide-in-Gaza-PHRI-English.pdf |website=[[Physicians for Human Rights–Israel]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250728141205/https://www.phr.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Genocide-in-Gaza-PHRI-English.pdf |archive-date=28 July 2025}}]{{sfn|B'Tselem|2025|p=87}} International human rights groups condemning Israel's genocide include the [[International Federation for Human Rights]],[{{cite web |date=12 December 2023 |title=The unfolding genocide against the Palestinians must stop immediately |url=https://www.fidh.org/en/region/north-africa-middle-east/israel-palestine/the-unfolding-genocide-against-the-palestinians-must-stop-immediately |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216191823/https://www.fidh.org/en/region/north-africa-middle-east/israel-palestine/the-unfolding-genocide-against-the-palestinians-must-stop-immediately |archive-date=16 December 2023 |access-date=13 December 2023 |publisher=[[International Federation for Human Rights]]}}] [[Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor]],[{{cite news |date=26 December 2023 |title=Euro-Med submits findings on Israeli army executions in Gaza to ICC, UN, calling them 'genocide' |work=[[Middle East Monitor]] |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231226-euro-med-submits-findings-on-israeli-army-executions-in-gaza-to-icc-un-calling-them-genocide/ |access-date=29 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104213949/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20231226-euro-med-submits-findings-on-israeli-army-executions-in-gaza-to-icc-un-calling-them-genocide/ |archive-date=4 January 2024}}] [[Amnesty International]],[{{cite news |last=Bashir |first=Nada |date=5 December 2024 |title=Amnesty International says there is 'sufficient evidence' to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/04/world/amnesty-international-israel-genocide-gaza-intl/index.html |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=[[CNN]] |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209011431/https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/04/world/amnesty-international-israel-genocide-gaza-intl/index.html |archive-date=9 December 2024}}][{{cite web |date=10 December 2024 |title=Gaza and the matter of genocide |url=https://www.ecchr.eu/en/press-release/gaza-and-the-matter-of-genocide/ |website=[[European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217023134/https://www.ecchr.eu/en/press-release/gaza-and-the-matter-of-genocide/ |archive-date=17 December 2024 |language=en}}] and [[Human Rights Watch]].[{{cite web |date=15 October 2024 |title=Northern Gaza is being erased – global leaders must act now to end Israel's atrocities |url=https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/urgent-joint-statement-northern-gaza-being-erased-global-leaders-must-act-now-end |publisher=[[Oxfam International]] |access-date=17 October 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241103100653/https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/urgent-joint-statement-northern-gaza-being-erased-global-leaders-must-act-now-end |archive-date=3 November 2024}}] {{lang|fr|[[Médecins Sans Frontières]]}} (MSF) has also found that Israel is committing genocide.[{{harvnb|Médecins Sans Frontières|2024c|p=5}}: "Our firsthand observations of the medical and humanitarian catastrophe inflicted on Gaza are consistent with the descriptions provided by an increasing number of legal experts and organisations concluding that genocide is taking place in Gaza. While we don't have legal authority to establish intentionality, the signs of ethnic cleansing and the ongoing devastation—including mass killings, severe physical and mental health injuries, forced displacement, and impossible conditions of life for Palestinians under siege and bombardment—are undeniable."][{{cite web |date=30 December 2024 |url=https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-01/the-middle-east-including-the-palestinian-question-19.php |title=The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question |website=Security Council Report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124115932/https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2025-01/the-middle-east-including-the-palestinian-question-19.php |archive-date=24 January 2025}}]{{sfn|Médecins Sans Frontières|2025}} The American activist group [[Jewish Voice for Peace]] has stated that Israel is committing genocide.[{{cite web |date=11 October 2023 |title=Jewish Voice for Peace calls on all people of conscience to stop imminent genocide |url=https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/10/11/statement23-10-11/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116181005/https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/10/11/statement23-10-11/ |archive-date=16 November 2023 |work=[[Jewish Voice for Peace]]}}][{{Cite web |last1=Lapin |first1=Andrew |last2=Elia-Shalev |first2=Asaf |date=1 September 2025 |title=Jewish Voice for Peace retools to focus on swaying elections |url=https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/jewish-voice-for-peace-retools-to-focus-on-swaying-elections/ |access-date=10 November 2025 |website=jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com |publisher=[[The Times of Israel]] |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251114163212/https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/jewish-voice-for-peace-retools-to-focus-on-swaying-elections/ |archive-date=14 November 2025}}][{{Cite magazine |last=Fox |first=Stefanie |date=8 October 2024 |title=I Run Jewish Voice for Peace. These Are My Reflections on a Year of Unthinkable Horror |url=https://time.com/7061772/jewish-voice-for-peace-oct-7-anniversary-essay/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250626130523/https://time.com/7061772/jewish-voice-for-peace-oct-7-anniversary-essay/ |archive-date=26 June 2025 |access-date=10 November 2025 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |language=en}}]
In September 2025, the [[UN Human Rights Council]]'s [[Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory|Independent International Commission of Inquiry]] issued a report concluding that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The Commission found reasonable grounds to determine that Israeli authorities and security forces have committed, and continue to commit, four of the five genocidal acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction in whole or in part; and imposing measures intended to prevent births.[{{Cite news |last=Henley |first=Jon |date=16 September 2025 |title=Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN commission of inquiry |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/16/israel-committed-genocide-in-gaza-says-un-inquiry |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250922105448/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/16/israel-committed-genocide-in-gaza-says-un-inquiry |archive-date=22 September 2025 |access-date=16 September 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}]
== Cultural discourse ==
{{Main|Cultural discourse about the Gaza genocide}}
Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza has been a contentious topic in cultural discourse. Celebrities, athletes, public intellectuals, activists, cultural institutions and ordinary people have weighed in on the events in Gaza, as well as on the cultural and societal implications of viewing those events through the framework of genocide.[{{cite news |last=Barat |first=Frank |title=Gaza's genocide has forced many celebrities out of silence |url=https://www.newarab.com/opinion/gazas-genocide-has-forced-many-celebrities-out-silence |url-status=live |work=[[The New Arab]] |date=14 July 2025 |access-date=11 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250811040850/https://www.newarab.com/opinion/gazas-genocide-has-forced-many-celebrities-out-silence |archive-date=11 August 2025}}]
=== Public opinion in Israel and abroad ===
Multiple surveys have found broad support among Jewish Israelis for the government's policies toward Gaza.[{{Cite news |date=28 May 2025 |title=Yes to transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis back expelling Gazans |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-05-28/ty-article-magazine/.premium/yes-to-transfer-82-of-jewish-israelis-back-expelling-gazans/00000197-12a4-df22-a9d7-9ef6af930000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251011183022/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-05-28/ty-article-magazine/.premium/yes-to-transfer-82-of-jewish-israelis-back-expelling-gazans/00000197-12a4-df22-a9d7-9ef6af930000 |archive-date=11 October 2025 |access-date=8 November 2025 |work=[[Haaretz]] |language=en}}][{{Cite news |last=Dayan |first=Linda |date=5 August 2025 |title=Large majority of Israeli Jews untroubled by reports of famine in Gaza, poll finds |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-08-05/ty-article/.premium/large-majority-of-israeli-jews-untroubled-by-reports-of-famine-in-gaza-poll-finds/00000198-7ab3-d0ce-a5de-fbb374f30000 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250826060312/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-08-05/ty-article/.premium/large-majority-of-israeli-jews-untroubled-by-reports-of-famine-in-gaza-poll-finds/00000198-7ab3-d0ce-a5de-fbb374f30000 |archive-date=26 August 2025 |access-date=8 November 2025 |work=[[Haaretz]] |language=en}}][{{Cite news |date=26 January 2024 |title=Jewish, Arab Israelis disagree on IDF use of force in Gaza |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-783849 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250722162135/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-783849 |archive-date=22 July 2025 |access-date=8 November 2025 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en}}] An August 2025 Accord Center poll found that 76% of Jewish Israelis agreed with the statement "there are no innocent people in Gaza".[{{Cite web |date=25 August 2025 |title=Poll: 62% of Israelis say "there are no innocent people in Gaza" |url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-poll-62-of-israelis-say-there-are-no-innocent-people-in-gaza |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251006150146/https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel-at-war/artc-poll-62-of-israelis-say-there-are-no-innocent-people-in-gaza |archive-date=6 October 2025 |access-date=8 November 2025 |website=i24NEWS |language=en}}] A May 2025 survey found that 82% supported expelling Gazans, while 56% favoured also expelling Palestinians from Israel.[{{Cite web |date=18 May 2025 |title=Four Facts about Israel's Genocide |url=https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/four-facts-about-israel%E2%80%99s-genocide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250711072013/https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/four-facts-about-israel%E2%80%99s-genocide |archive-date=11 July 2025 |access-date=23 September 2025 |website=[[Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention]] |language=en}}]
A September 2025 AP-NORC poll found that the number of Americans who believe that Israel's military actions in Gaza have "gone too far" was increasing.[{{Cite web |date=2025-09-18 |title=More Americans feel Israel has 'gone too far' in Gaza, AP-NORC poll shows |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/more-americans-feel-israel-has-gone-too-far-in-gaza-ap-norc-poll-shows |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=PBS News |language=en-us}}]
==Impact==
[[File:Palestine Rally End The Siege, Stop the War on Gaza (53264903858).jpg|thumb|Millions of people around the world protested Israel's actions, many of them explicitly calling for the recognition and cessation of genocide.{{sfn|Shaw|2025b|p=10}}]]
British sociologist [[Martin Shaw (sociologist)|Martin Shaw]] has called the Gaza genocide "the genocide that changed the world" because of mass mobilisation against genocide. He also highlights some political victories by Israel, but "at huge cost to [[Legitimacy of Israel|its global legitimacy]] and that of the West".{{sfn|Shaw|2025b|p=|pp=4, 14}} Israeli journalist and author [[Gideon Levy]] wrote an article in ''Haaretz'' insisting that the people of Gaza will never forget the massacres, bombardments, destruction, and trauma.[{{cite news |last=Levy |first=Gideon |date=5 October 2025 |title=Do Cry Over Spilt Blood: Generations Will Go by Before Gaza Forgets the Genocide |url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025-10-05/ty-article-opinion/.premium/do-cry-over-spilt-blood-generations-will-go-by-before-gaza-forgets-the-genocide/00000199-afd4-d5a6-afff-efdff5560000 |access-date=5 October 2025 |work=[[Haaretz]] |language=en |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251005003148/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025-10-05/ty-article-opinion/.premium/do-cry-over-spilt-blood-generations-will-go-by-before-gaza-forgets-the-genocide/00000199-afd4-d5a6-afff-efdff5560000 |archive-date=5 October 2025}}]
Some scholars, particularly those associated with [[Third World approaches to international law]], have argued that the international community's failure to treat Israel's actions in Gaza as a genocide and respond accordingly has harmed the principles of the [[international order]] and international law and exposed the deficiencies of international governance.[{{cite news |last=Walters |first=Derk |title=Is het internationaal recht nog relevant na 'Gaza'? 'We gaan een donker decennium tegemoet' |url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/10/06/is-het-internationaal-recht-nog-relevant-na-gaza-we-gaan-een-donker-decennium-tegemoet-a4908607 |work=[[NRC (newspaper)|NRC]] |date=6 October 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251006221648/https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2025/10/06/is-het-internationaal-recht-nog-relevant-na-gaza-we-gaan-een-donker-decennium-tegemoet-a4908607 |archive-date=6 October 2025 |url-status=live |language=nl |trans-title=Is international law still relevant after Gaza? "We are entering a dark decade."}}] The journalist Colin Jones interviewed lawyers affiliated with the US military and concluded that they see Gaza as a test case for what military conduct might be acceptable in a hypothetical war between the US and a peer power such as China.