Gaza genocide

Gaza genocide
Part of the Gaza war
Photograph
Palestinian civilians receive treatment on the floor at the overcrowded emergency ward of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, October 2023.
LocationGaza Strip
Date7 October 2023 (2023-10-07) – present
(3 years, 4 weeks and 1 day)
TargetPalestinians
Attack type
Collective punishment, mass murder, ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, bombardment, targeted killings, starvation, torture, urbicide, rape and sexual violence, attacks on healthcare and preventing births
Deaths
  • At least 59,200 reported directly killed (traumatic injury deaths)
  • More than 10,000 estimated under rubble
  • "Indirect" or non-traumatic injury deaths likely to be several times higher than those directly killed
Injured
At least 143,000
Victims
  • 20% of population facing "catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity" involving "an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion"
  • 1,900,000+ internally displaced people
  • Damaging or destruction of approximately 92% of homes and 50% of buildings in Gaza
PerpetratorIsrael
Motive
AccusedState of Israel, including the Israeli war cabinet, its government, the Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of National Security

Potential complicity includes:

Litigation

The way Israel is fighting the current Gaza war is seen as genocide by some onlookers. Those who think Israel is doing genocide say that it has been killing non-soldiers, taking away food from people, killing healthcare and relief workers, blockading (cutting off access to) the Gaza Strip, destroying non-military buildings, allowing sexual assault, and trying to stop children from being born.

Israel says its actions are not genocide, but self-defense against Hamas after the October 7 attacks. A case about this issue is being heard by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Overview

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Gaza war, mostly women and children. The fighting in Gaza was started by the October 7 attacks, in which Gaza-based militant groups killed over 1,200 people. Most of the dead were visiting or working in Israel.

South Africa v. Israel

The government of South Africa said that Israel broke laws against genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The ICJ allowed South Africa to bring its case, while Palestinians were recognised to have a right to protection from genocide. The court ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to stop any genocidal acts and to allow humanitarian service into Gaza. The court later ordered Israel to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza and to stop the Rafah offensive. Israel did not follow the orders.

Opinions

Many groups, including the United Nations, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese, and Human Rights Watch have said that Israeli leaders and government want to commit genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza.

The Israeli government has denied South Africa's accusations and said that Israel is defending itself.

Public polls

According to a survey released in June 2025, 49% of Canadians and 38% of Americans agreed that "Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip".

According to a public opinion poll by YouGov plc released in April 2024, 46% of Swedes, 43% of Belgians, 34% of French people, and 33% of Germans agreed that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

In a German poll from June 2025, 73% said that there was "some truth" to the claim that Israel was committing genocide.

According to a survey in May 2024, 71% of Spaniards thought Israel's actions were genocide.

In an Italian poll published in June 2025, 50% of people said Israel's military operation in Gaza "can be defined as genocide".

In a June 2025 British poll, 55% were against Israel's war on Gaza and 82% believed Israel was committing genocide.

A January 2024 poll of Israeli Jews found that 51% believed the Israel Defense Forces was using the right amount of force in Gaza, while 43% believed it was not using enough.

Notes

  1. ↑ Per the Gaza Health Ministry and Government Information Office, which has previously been deemed reliable by prominent and independent organisations. In the same period at least 930 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank.
  2. ↑ A larger estimate of 64,260 exists for total direct deaths between the start of the conflict until the end of June 2024, and likely exceeding 70,000 by October 2024. As of January 2025, this number would have increased to around 80,000.
  3. ↑
    • Using methods described in The Lancet, Devi Sridhar, the chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in a September 2024 editorial that "the total deaths since the conflict began would be estimated at about 335,500 in total".
    • In addition to direct deaths, armed conflicts result in indirect deaths "attributable to the conflict". Mortality due to indirect deaths could be due to a variety of causes, such as infectious diseases.
    • Geneva Declaration Secretariat 2008, p. 4: "The ratio of people killed in war to those dying indirectly because of a conflict is explored in the chapter on indirect deaths (INDIRECT CONFLICT DEATHS). Studies show that between three and 15 times as many people die indirectly for every person who dies violently."
  4. ↑ The destruction includes:
    • at least 436,000 homes
    • 496 educational facilities
    • 267 places of worship
    • 22 hospitals are partially functional
    • 83% of groundwater wells are not operational

References

  1. ↑ Amnesty International report 2024, p. 37.
  2. ↑ "Israel's escalating use of torture against Palestinians in custody a preventable crime against humanity: UN experts". OHCHR. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "The Genocidal Dimensions of Israel's Use of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) against Palestinians". Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  4. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry 2025, p. 1: "The Commission also examines the sharp increase in sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by members of the Israeli Security Forces and settlers online and in person across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including rape and other forms of sexual violence. It also examines how sexual and gender-based violence has taken different forms when committed against male and female members of the Palestinian community in order to dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part."
  5. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry 2025, p. 37.
  6. ↑ Independent International Commission of Inquiry 2025, p. 39: "175. The Commission finds that the ISF intentionally attacked and destroyed the Basma IVF clinic which was the main fertility centre in Gaza. The ISF destroyed all of the reproductive material that was stored for the future conception of Palestinians. The Commission did not find any evidence that this IVF clinic was a legitimate military target at the time that it was attacked by the ISF. The Commission concludes that the destruction of the Basma IVF clinic was a measure intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza, which is a genocidal act under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention. The Commission also concludes that this was done with the intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, in whole or in part, and that this is the only inference that could reasonably be drawn from the acts in question"
  7. ↑ "Israel's attacks on reproductive healthcare in Gaza 'genocidal': UN probe". Al Jazeera. 13 March 2025. Archived from the original on 31 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Reported impact snapshot – Gaza Strip (23 July 2025)". Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 23 July 2025. Archived from the original on 24 July 2025.
  9. ↑ Prothero 2024.
  10. ↑ Huynh, Chin & Spiegel 2023, pp. 23–24.
  11. ↑ UNRWA 2025.
  12. ↑ AJLabs 2025.
  13. ↑ Jamaluddine et al. 2025.
  14. ↑ Bloxham 2025, p. 23.
  15. ↑ United Nations in Palestine 2024.
  16. ↑ Sridhar 2024.
  17. ↑ Garry & Checchi 2020.
  18. ↑ Khatib, McKee & Yusuf 2024, p. 237.
  19. ↑ Khadder & Haq 2024.
  20. ↑ Burke 2024.
  21. ↑ "Israel: Starvation Used as Weapon of War in Gaza". Human Rights Watch. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  22. ↑ Sathar 2023; Qutami 2023, p. 532; Semerdjian 2024, p. 4
  23. ↑ Semerdjian 2024, p. 4.
  24. ↑ Malsin & Shah 2023.
  25. ↑ "Gaza: Destruction of vital lifting gear halts search for thousands buried under rubble". UN News. United Nations. 22 April 2025. Archived from the original on 8 June 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2025.
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ Fassin 2024, pp. 1–2; Semerdjian 2024, pp. 1, 3; Levene 2024, pp. 1–2; Litvin 2023
  28. ↑ Mackenzie & Lubell 2023: "Israel has tightened its blockade on and bombarded Gaza for three weeks after the Islamist group Hamas' Oct. 7 assault killed 1,400 Israelis ... Abbas ... said, 'Our people in the Gaza Strip are facing a war of genocide and massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in full view of the entire world.'"; Antonio 2023: "Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss rejected the notion that his country is committing genocide in Gaza City, where a two-week war has erupted ... their measures were targeting Hamas members, and they were 'taking all measures to avoid having civilians affected" by attacks. 'We are informing civilians even before attacks: keep away from Hamas' infrastructure and Hamas' facilities,' ... Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians."; Chacar 2023; Smith et al. 2023; Nichols 2023; Bishara 2023
  29. ↑ Abraham 2024: '"There was a completely permissive policy regarding the casualties of [bombing] operations – so permissive that in my opinion it had an element of revenge," D., an intelligence source, claimed. ... A. also used the word "revenge" to describe the atmosphere inside the army after October 7.'
  30. ↑ Sultany 2024, pp. 2–3.
  31. ↑ Bennett 2023: "The current genocidal assaults on Palestinians in the Gaza strip have undoubtedly been enabled by decades of anti-Palestinian racism propagated by both government and military officials and by media outlets. ... This has never been clearer than over the course of the last two weeks as U.S. and Israeli political and military leaders sow fear and paranoia, and trot out the worst anti-Arab rhetoric we have seen since the period following 9/11. This racist rhetoric is intended to dehumanize the Palestinians in order to neutralize public outrage at what may amount to the worst ethnic cleansing since the 1948 Nakba and what constitutes a genocide at the hands of one of the most advanced militaries in the world, all while world powers watch and do nothing."
  32. ↑ Hughes 2024.
  33. ↑ Massad 2025.
  34. ↑ Levene 2024, p. 5.
  35. ↑
  36. ↑
  37. ↑ "Israel's genocide against Palestinians 'not over' despite ceasefire - new Amnesty briefing". Amnesty International. 27 November 2025. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  38. ↑ Segal, Raz (28 November 2025). "The genocide in Gaza is far from over". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 November 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  39. ↑
  40. ↑ "Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (Sou". icj-cij.org. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  41. ↑ "Reported impact snapshot | Gaza Strip (24 September 2025)". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Occupied Palestinian Territory. 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
  42. ↑ Saric, Ivana (2024-11-08). "Nearly 70% of verified deaths in Gaza are women and children, UN report finds". Axios. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
  43. ↑ Donoghue 2024, 5:10 ("The court decided that the Palestinians had a plausible right to be protected from genocide, and that South Africa had the right to present that claim in the court."); Order, S. Afr., No. 192 (ICJ 26 January 2024), ¶ 54 ("In the Court's view, the facts and circumstances mentioned above are sufficient to conclude that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible. This is the case with respect to the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article III, and the right of South Africa to seek Israel's compliance with the latter's obligations under the Convention.").
  44. ↑ Simon & Peralta 2024.
  45. 1 2 Casciani 2024a.
  46. ↑ Casciani 2024b.
  47. ↑ Marsi, Siddiqui & Motamedi 2024.
  48. ↑ "Israel Not Complying with World Court Order in Genocide Case | Human Rights Watch". 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  49. ↑ "Israel defying ICJ ruling to prevent genocide by failing to allow aid into Gaza". Amnesty International. 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  50. 1 2 "Gaza: UN experts call on international community to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people". OHCHR. 16 November 2023. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023. Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making, UN experts said today. They illustrated evidence of increasing genocidal incitement, overt intent to "destroy the Palestinian people under occupation", loud calls for a 'second Nakba' in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and the use of powerful weaponry with inherently indiscriminate impacts, resulting in a colossal death toll and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure.
  51. ↑ Albanese 2024, pp. 13–14.
  52. ↑
  53. ↑ Extermination and Acts of Genocide: Israel Deliberately Depriving Palestinians in Gaza of Water (Report). Human Rights Watch. 19 December 2024. Archived from the original on 9 February 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025. Israeli authorities' and forces' actions to deprive the population of Gaza of access to water amount to acts of genocide under the Genocide Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Specifically, their actions amount to deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian population in Gaza. Genocidal intent may also be inferred from Israeli authorities' and forces' continued actions to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of water, despite clear data and warnings from the United Nations since October and orders from the International Court of Justice calling for the provision of water since January, alongside Israeli authorities' statements, and therefore these acts may amount to the crime of genocide.
  54. ↑ Deutsch, Sterling & Berg 2024.
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  57. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  58. ↑ Petersen 2025.
  59. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  60. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  61. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  62. ↑ Al Jazeera 2025.
  63. ↑ Script error: No such module "Lua call".
  64. ↑ "The International MA Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation" (PDF). The Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences. Tel Aviv University. January 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 June 2024.