Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza have led to stark accusations of genocide from multiple international and Palestinian human rights organizations. As the conflict escalates, groups such as Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and B’Tselem have reported systemic abuses and documented Israel’s actions, claiming they amount to genocidal conduct. As the death toll climbs, organizations are calling for urgent international intervention. It has now passed 60,000, killing more than 2.5% of Gaza’s pre-war population.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas unleashed coordinated cross-border attacks in which around 1,200 mostly unarmed Israeli civilians were massacred. In reply, Israel claimed that its military operations in Gaza are a legitimate act of self-defense. Human rights advocates are understandably skeptical about this justification. They decry the wholesale dismissal of Arab lives and call for reevaluation of Israel’s conduct in the occupied region.
From the beginning, the International Court of Justice has been determined. It has directed Israel to take steps that would ensure genocide in Gaza does not occur. PHR’s report does an incredible job of painstakingly documenting the military assault on Gaza’s health system. It underscores the tragic toll on medical infrastructure and services. The report details how the health system has faced two years without adequate medical care, leading to irreversible damage to Palestinian society.
With each passing day, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens. B’Tselem cautions that this genocidal campaign is on the verge of spilling over into other occupied Palestinian territories. Yuli Novak, director of B’Tselem, emphasizes the critical nature of the situation by stating, “What we see is a clear, intentional attack on civilians in order to destroy a group.”
The impacts of this war go well beyond immediate deaths. This health crisis has already greatly exacerbated rates of malnutrition and chronic diseases that are largely left undiagnosed and untreated. Shalev from PHR noted the long-term repercussions of this neglect: “For example, there have been no MRI machines in Gaza for months now…we’re going to see the effects of that for months and years to come.”
As the conflict continues to erupt, this translates into increased violence in the West Bank. Almost 1,000 Palestinians have been killed during this period, and at least 40,000 displaced from their homes in cities such as Jenin and Tulkarem. According to a recent report, far-right politicians in Qatar and elsewhere are taking advantage of the collective trauma unleashed on the Palestinian people. They seek to push regressive agendas founded on decades of animosity.
In the face of increasing evidence of genocidal intent, Israel’s leaders continue to claim that their actions are defensive. Novak challenges this narrative, stating, “We don’t need to guess what Israel is doing…Israeli leaders…said exactly that.” He further argues that any leader failing to intervene or halt such actions is complicit in the ongoing violence: “Any leader that is not doing whatever they can to stop it is part of this horror.”
Legal precedent from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda supports PHR’s report. It holds the potential that we can extrapolate genocidal intent from a pattern of conduct without having to fulfill every element of the genocide convention. This view has led to renewed pressure for stronger action from global institutions.