Amnesty International has accused Israel of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians amid its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
The human rights organization claimed that Israel aimed to systematically annihilate Palestinians through lethal assaults, the destruction of essential infrastructure, and obstructing the provision of food, medical supplies, and other forms of aid.
It asserted that these actions fulfill the legal criteria for the crime of genocide, marking the first time such a judgment has been made during an ongoing military confrontation.
Individuals grieve for Palestinians who lost their lives in an Israeli attack at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Pic: Reuters
In its report, Amnesty stated that Israel’s conduct could not be rationalized by Hamas’ incursion into Israel on October 7 of the previous year, which triggered the conflict, nor by the presence of militants within civilian locales.
Amnesty indicated that the US and other allies of Israel might be complicit in genocide, urging them to cease arms deliveries.
“Our alarming conclusions should act as a wake-up call to the global community: this is genocide. It must end immediately,” Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, remarked in the report.
The damage following an Israeli airstrike on a tent camp in Khan Younis. Pics: Reuters
Israel has consistently refuted any allegations of genocide.
It is contesting such claims at the International Court of Justice and has dismissed the International Criminal Court’s accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister committed war crimes in Gaza.
“The shameful and radical organization Amnesty International has once again released a fraudulent report that is entirely inaccurate and grounded in deception”, declared Israel’s Foreign Ministry in a statement.
Israel has accused Hamas of executing a genocidal massacre during the attack that instigated the conflict, asserting it is acting in self-defense and in compliance with international law.
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The annihilation of culture, or attempts to displace a population, do not inherently amount to genocide.
Israel contends that the Hamas assaults on 7 October were, in fact, an act of genocide and vehemently dismisses any parallels with their own retaliatory measures.
The mere notion that Israel could be engaging in genocide weighs heavily on the consciousness of all Israelis, a nation that emerged from the shadows of the most horrific genocide in recent history.
While individual nations may arrive at their own conclusions regarding genocide, the International Court of Justice stands as the globally acknowledged authority on the matter.
South Africa initiated proceedings against Israel at the ICJ in late December 2023, which are still underway. It can take several years for a case to reach a resolution.
