Amnesty International has issued a groundbreaking report alleging that Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip constitutes genocide under international law. This marks the first time a major human rights association has made such a determination in the 14-month-old conflict.
The 32-page report, which examines events in Gaza between October 2023 and July 2024, paints a grim picture of the situation.Amnesty found that Israel has “brazenly, continuously and with total impunity … unleashed hell” on the strip’s 2.3 million inhabitants.While acknowledging the “atrocity crimes” committed against Israelis by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which triggered the war, the report emphasizes that these acts “do not justify genocide.”
according to the report, Israel has committed “prohibited acts under the Genocide Convention,” including killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza. The report asserts that these actions are carried out with the “specific intent to destroy Palestinians” in the territory.
This is the first time Amnesty has alleged genocide during an ongoing conflict. The report builds on a March assessment by the UN special rapporteur for Palestine, which concluded that “there are reasonable grounds to believe” Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians.
“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call: this is genocide and it must stop now,” declared agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general, during a news conference on Wednesday.
Amnesty cites the purposeful obstruction of aid and power supplies, along with “massive damage, destruction and displacement,” leading to the collapse of water, sanitation, food, and healthcare systems. The organization describes this as a “pattern of conduct” within the context of the occupation and blockade of Gaza.
“We did not necessarily start out thinking we would come to this conclusion.We knew there was a risk of genocide,as the international court of justice said,” explained Budour Hassan,Amnesty’s Israel and occupied Palestinian territories researcher.”when you join the dots together, the totality of the evidence, it is not just violations of international law. This is somthing deeper.”
Key Allegations
- Inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, such as destroying medical infrastructure, obstructing aid, and repeatedly issuing arbitrary and sweeping ”evacuation orders” for 90% of the population to unsuitable areas.
As an occupying power,Israel is legally obligated to provide for the needs of the occupied population,according to Kristine Beckerle,an adviser to Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa team. She described Israel’s May offensive on Rafah, until then the last relatively safe place in the strip, as a major turning point in establishing intent.
“[Israel] had made Rafah the main aid point, and it knew civilians would go there. The ICJ ordered them to stop and they went ahead anyway,” she said. “Rafah was key.”
At least 47 people, including four children, were killed in a series of airstrikes across Gaza on Tuesday, according to health officials in the territory. Among the victims were at least 21 individuals seeking refuge in a tent camp housing displaced people near the city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military stated that the strikes targeted Hamas militants.
In response to the escalating violence,Amnesty International has issued a scathing report accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The human rights organization is calling on the United Nations to enforce an immediate ceasefire and impose targeted sanctions on both Israeli and top Hamas officials. Amnesty is also urging Western governments, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, to halt all security assistance and arms sales to Israel.
“You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza,” the report’s title, is likely to ignite controversy and accusations of antisemitism. Though, Amnesty maintains that its findings are based on extensive fieldwork, interviews with over 200 individuals, including victims, witnesses, and healthcare workers in Gaza, as well as analysis of visual and digital evidence.The report also cites more than 100 statements from Israeli government and military officials that Amnesty alleges constitute “dehumanizing discourse.”
“Amnesty International concedes that identifying genocide in armed conflict is complex and challenging, because of the multiple objectives that may exist simultaneously. Nonetheless, it is indeed critical to recognize genocide, and to insist that war can never excuse it,”
Amnesty argues that Israel’s actions in Gaza, when considered in their totality, demonstrate a pattern of systematic violence aimed at the destruction of the Palestinian people.The organization points to the recurrence and simultaneous occurrence of these acts, and also their cumulative and mutually reinforcing consequences, as evidence of genocidal intent.
The report comes on the heels of the International Criminal Court’s decision last month to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. amnesty is now urging the court to expand its investigation to include charges of genocide.
This latest report builds on Amnesty’s previous controversial stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.In 2022, the organization joined Human Rights Watch and the Israeli NGO B’Tselem in accusing israel of apartheid. This accusation, which was met with fierce backlash from Israeli officials, marked a significant shift in the international discourse surrounding the conflict.
The ongoing violence in Gaza has sparked global outrage and calls for an end to the bloodshed. As the death toll continues to rise, the international community faces increasing pressure to find a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
## Expert Interview: Amnesty’s Genocide Allegation Against Israel
**World-Today-news:** Today, we are joined by Professor Sarah Blake, a leading international law expert at [University Name], to discuss Amnesty International’s groundbreaking report alleging that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide. Professor Blake, thank you for joining us.
**Professor Blake:** Thank you for having me. This is a weighty issue, and it’s importent to analyze it carefully.
**World-Today-news:** Amnesty’s report is the first time a major human rights institution has labeled the conflict in Gaza as genocide. Can you explain what legal criteria Amnesty used to reach this conclusion?
**professor Blake:** Amnesty meticulously examined the situation in Gaza through the lens of the 1948 Genocide Convention. This convention defines genocide as acts committed with “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
**World-Today-News:** What specific actions by Israel did Amnesty identify as potential acts of genocide?
**Professor Blake:** The report cites several factors, including the deliberate destruction of essential infrastructure like hospitals and water treatment plants, along with the systematic denial of basic necessities like food, water, and medicine to the civilian population. Amnesty also points to the repeated “evacuation orders” directing 90% of Gazans to areas devoid of basic resources, creating conditions that put them at risk of death.
**World-Today-News:** Amnesty emphasizes that while acknowledging Hamas’s atrocities against Israelis on October 7th, these actions don’t justify genocide. Can you elaborate on this point?
**Professor Blake:** Absolutely. International law is clear: even during armed conflict, there are basic principles that must be upheld. While Hamas’s actions were undoubtedly horrific, they do not give Israel a blank check to violate international law, including the prohibitions against genocide.
**World-Today-News:** This is a highly charged accusation. What are the implications for Israel if the international community accepts Amnesty’s findings?
**Professor Blake:** The consequences are significant. If an official inquiry confirms the allegations, it could lead to legal accountability before international tribunals and severe sanctions against Israel. It would also have a profound impact on Israel’s international standing and its relations with other nations.
**World-Today-News:**
What are the likely next steps following Amnesty’s report?
**Professor Blake:**
This report is a call to action. It puts pressure on the international community to launch autonomous investigations into
Alleged Israeli war crimes, potentially through the international Criminal Court. It also demands immediate humanitarian intervention to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population in Gaza.
**World-Today-News:**
Thank you, Professor blake, for your insightful analysis. This is a complex and tragic situation,and your expertise helps shed light on the legal ramifications of Amnesty’s allegations.
**Professor Blake:**
You’re welcome. It’s crucial that we continue to scrutinize the situation in Gaza and hold all parties accountable for their actions.
