Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, top scholars conclude
Gaza - The International Association of Genocide Scholars has declared that Israel's atrocities in Gaza "meet the legal definition of genocide."
The IAGS resolution – passed on August 31 with 86% of voters in support – "calls upon the government of Israel to immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza."
These actions include:
- deliberately killing civilians, including children
- forcibly depriving Palestinians of life-saving aid
- acts of sexual and reproductive violence
- forced displacement of Gaza's population
The resolution notes that a growing number of organizations and human rights experts – including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch – have stated that Israel is waging a genocide, defined by the UN as acts committed "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group."
The passage of the resolution came just one week after the UN officially declared a famine in Gaza amid a near-total Israeli blockade on the entry of aid into the territory.
The scholars call on Israel to comply with provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice. The UN top court concluded in January 2024 that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza, as a case brought by South Africa continues to play out.
Other countries are urged to enforce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and to comply with their obligations to prevent genocide, including as concerns the provision of weapons.
Successive US administration have facilitated Israel's destruction of Gaza through military backing to the tune of billions of dollars.
Cover photo: JACK GUEZ / AFP