PORTLAND, USA, Jan 15 (IPS) – Despite denials by the Israeli government and some of its supporters, Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is clear.
After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Palestinians “human animals.” Dan Gillerman, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, also described Palestinians as “horrible, inhumane animals.”
“Now we all have one common goal: to wipe Gaza off the face of the earth,” posted Nissim Vaturi, deputy speaker of the Israeli Knesset. Israeli President Isaac Herzog also declared, “There are no innocent civilians in Gaza.”
Israel retaliated against the attack with a destructive war in Gaza, including bombings, shootings and blockades, in addition to cutting off food, water and fuel to Gaza. These actions have resulted in excessive deaths, injuries, suffering, displacement and destruction across Gaza.
As the Israel-Gaza war continues into its 500th day, the disparities in deaths, injuries, displacement and destruction are striking. For example, according to reported death tolls that are considered a significant undercount for Palestinians in Gaza, as of January 10, 2025, approximately 96% of those killed in the Israel-Gaza war were Palestinians, and nearly 70% of them. was Palestinian. Women and children (Figure 1).
Israel, like all nations, has the right to defend itself, but self-defense is not an excuse to commit genocide. The right to self-defense must comply with international humanitarian law, and Israel’s actions in Gaza do not meet the standards of humanitarian law.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. ICC judges found reasonable grounds to believe that these two Israeli officials were criminally responsible for acts of murder, persecution and starvation as weapons of war against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Additionally, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued orders on how Israel conducts its war in the Gaza Strip. Among other things, the ICJ order emphasized that Israel must conduct its war in a way that avoids genocide.
A UN special committee to investigate Israel’s practices found that Israel’s methods of war in Gaza included genocide, mass civilian casualties, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and life-threatening conditions deliberately imposed on Palestinians in Gaza. Found a match.
In an objective, methodological, and detailed analysis report, the University Network for Human Rights (UNHR) at Boston University School of Law stated that “Israel has committed acts of genocide, that is, acts of murder, serious harm, and calculated infliction of living conditions in the Gaza Strip. There was an intention to physically destroy the Palestinians in .”
The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a US-based legal advocacy group, also said Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. In its legal analysis, CCR reported Israel’s violations of the Genocide Convention and also accused the U.S. administration of complicity in these violations.
The former Israeli defense minister said the Israeli government, with the support of far-right politicians, aims to occupy, annex and ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip and build Israeli settlements there. He accused the Israeli government of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.
Amnesty International also released a report saying it had gathered enough evidence to conclude that Israel has committed and is still committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The report specifically criticized Israel for using starvation as a method of war. Following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, Israel blocked water, fuel and virtually all humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in Gaza.
Human Rights Watch also reported that Israeli authorities intentionally deprived Palestinians in Gaza of access to safe drinking water and sanitation necessary for basic human survival. They concluded that the Israeli government was responsible for crimes against humanity and acts of genocide.
Scholars and academics in Israel, the United States, and elsewhere have concluded that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Professor Amos Goldberg, Professor of Holocaust Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, published the following paper: Siha MekomitIt accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. He concluded: “What is happening in Gaza is genocide because Gaza no longer exists.”
Likewise, Omer Bartov, a professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, believes Israel can no longer deny that it has engaged in systematic war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide. I concluded that there was none. He pointed out from the beginning that the Israeli government’s ultimate goal is to make the entire Gaza Strip uninhabitable and depopulate it, thereby exploring all possible options to either destroy Gaza or flee the territory.
Governments inside and outside the region have also discovered that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has condemned Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip as genocide, while the Emir of Qatar has accused Israel of committing ‘genocide’ in the Gaza Strip. The Turkish president said Israel’s policies of genocide, occupation and aggression must end.
Additionally, more than a dozen countries, including Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, and Spain, have joined or indicated their intention to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
In the United States, more than a dozen federal government employees have resigned in protest of President Joe Biden’s Gaza policy. They accuse the Biden administration of complicity in Israel’s genocide and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, contributing to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Some explained that they could not continue to work for an administration that ignored the voices of diverse employees by continuing to fund and support Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Others have also reported that Biden’s Gaza policy is a moral, practical and political failure, with the United States implicated in civilian deaths, including starvation of children.
Additionally, some elected officials in the U.S. Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders, have criticized the Israeli government for its actions in Gaza, calling them “ethnic cleansing.” Additionally, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Jamal Bowman accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians.
A ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages may occur as mediators report a deal is closer than ever. Despite the outcome widely desired by the international community, a ceasefire and hostage release will not change Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Israel must be held accountable for its actions and ensure that it does not continue its genocide against Palestinians.
Joseph Shami He is a demographer and former director of the United Nations Population Division, and is the author of his latest book, “Population Levels, Trends and Differences”.
© Interpress Service (2025) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Interpress Service
