A UN commission has accused Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip, claiming responsibility for this lies at the highest political level. The Israeli leadership rejects the commission's report as a"slanderous tirade."
According to the UN Human Rights Council's independent commission of inquiry, Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. The three-member commission found that four of the five crimes listed in the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide have been committed.
The commission cites the following offenses: killing, causing serious physical or mental harm, intentionally creating living conditions aimed at the total or partial destruction of the Palestinian population, and measures to prevent births. Civilians are being killed, humanitarian aid is being blocked, health and educational facilities are being systematically destroyed, and religious institutions are being attacked.
Commission speaks of intent
The report continues: "There is also indirect or circumstantial evidence of special intent (dolus specialis) in the pattern of conduct of Israel's political and military authorities, as well as in its military operations, which, when taken into account the totality of the evidence, demonstrates the necessary specific intent to commit genocide."
The chair of the Commission, established in 2021 to examine possible violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel, is Navi Pillay. She was formerly a judge at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Pillay has submitted her resignation for health reasons, effective in November.
Interviews with victims and witnesses
The Israeli government has"orchestrated a genocidal campaign for nearly two years with the specific intent of destroying the radical Islamic Hamas in Gaza," Pillay said. To support its accusation, the commission points to the scale of the casualties, the blockade of aid deliveries, and forced displacement.
The report cites evidence including interviews with victims and witnesses, verified public documents, and the analysis of satellite images.
The three-member commission also concludes that statements by Netanyahu and other government officials constitute"direct evidence of genocidal intent." The report cites a November 2023 letter from Netanyahu to Israeli soldiers in which he compares the operation in the Gaza Strip to what the commission describes as a "holy war of total annihilation" from the Hebrew Bible. Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog and former Defense Minister Joav Gallant are also named.
Report examines events since October 7, 2023
The report refers to the events since the terrorist attack by the militant Islamist Hamas and other extremists on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel consistently emphasizes that it is fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, not the civilian population. Hamas repeatedly abuses civilians as"human shields." The government repeatedly said the war could end immediately if Hamas released the 48 remaining hostages and laid down its weapons. However, negotiations on another ceasefire agreement have stalled.
UN Convention on Genocide
The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide refers to the deliberate persecution of population groups that differ from others in terms of language, religion, and tradition - with the aim of destroying that group in whole or in part.
In addition to killing, this includes measures that cause serious physical or psychological harm, as well as the imposition of living conditions on the group that could lead to physical destruction.
The UN Convention also classifies as genocide the deliberate prevention of births or the abduction of children. Even though the term"genocide" evokes the murder of millions, the number of victims is irrelevant according to the UN Convention. By ratifying the Convention, UN members have committed themselves to preventing and punishing crimes of this kind.
The Convention entered into force in 1951 as a result of the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany, which claimed the lives of up to six million Jews.
Israel's ambassador speaks of"slanderous tirade"
Israel's ambassador to Geneva, Daniel Meron, called the report a scandalous one."Israel categorically rejects this slanderous tirade," he said. There was no mention of the terrorist acts of the militant Islamist Hamas. He accused the commission members of anti-Semitic tendencies.
Like the United States under President Donald Trump, Israel does not recognize the UN Human Rights Council as an authority and generally accuses it and its committees of bias against Israel. The Human Rights Council consists of 47 member states, each elected for a three-year term by the UN General Assembly.
Proceedings for genocide
Israel also faces genocide proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. The government in Jerusalem denies such accusations and invokes its right to self-defense following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli sources, 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
In the ensuing war in the Gaza Strip, more than 64,000 people have been killed so far, according to Hamas-controlled authorities.
