Amnesty International concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians

A report by Amnesty International on the Israel-Gaza attack has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.

A new report published by the human rights organisation has confirmed the war as genocide, based on contributing factors of unprecedented scale and magnitude, intent to destroy, killing and causing serious bodily or mental harm, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction.

The report details the deliberate, extensive destruction inflicted upon Palestinians in Gaza, following the widely-condemned, murderous Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, characterising Israel's military response as unrestrained and without accountability.

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International says, “Amnesty International’s report demonstrates that Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza... Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them.

“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now."

According to the report, by October 7, 2024 – a year after the Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 people – Israel's military operation resulted in the deaths of over 42,000 Palestinians, over 13,300 of whom were children, as well injuries to more than 97,000 individuals.

The destruction wrought is unprecedented in scale and speed, exceeding any other 21st-century conflict, as evidenced by the devastation of entire cities, critical infrastructure, agricultural lands, and sites of cultural and religious significance. It thereby rendered large swathes of Gaza uninhabitable.

Mohammed, a 42-year-old father of three fled Gaza City with his family to Rafah in March 2024, and was displaced again in May. He spoke in June 2024 about his experience of displacement from Rafah to Deir al-Balah Governorate.

“Here in Deir al-Balah, it’s like an apocalypse… You have to protect your children from insects, from the heat, and there is no clean water, no toilets, all while the bombing never stops. You feel like you are subhuman here,”  said Mohammed.

Agnès Callamard continued, “The atrocity crimes committed on 7 October 2023 by Hamas and other armed groups against Israelis and victims of other nationalities, including deliberate mass killings and hostage-taking, can never justify Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

Amnesty International has urged the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate genocide following their issuing of arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant (as well as Hamas official Mohammed Deif), and has called on the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against Israel and Hamas officials.