Amnesty warns of ‘worrying signs of genocide in Gaza’

Amnesty International has warned that there are “worrying signs of genocide in Gaza” 109 days after Israel launched its most brutal bombing campaign on the Strip.

In a letter to High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, Amnesty International said it “concurs” with South Africa, which took Israel to  the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to stop it committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, “that there are worrying signs of genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip.”

Amnesty added that signs pointing to this include: “The staggering scale of death and destruction with 24,000+ Palestinians killed during the course of Israel’s relentless attacks on the occupied Gaza Strip; The deliberate depriving of adequate food, water, medical care and humanitarian assistance to the civilian population through an almost total siege by Israel, putting the survival of those within Gaza at risk; A spike in dehumanizing and racist rhetoric against Palestinians by multiple Israeli government and military officials; A long history of discrimination and oppression of Palestinians, including Israel’s system of apartheid against Palestinians.”

It urged EU member states “to engage with, and show their commitment to, international law and institutions.”

“We are horrified by the magnitude of the man-made human rights and humanitarian crisis in Gaza… Over a quarter of the population are starving, while every single person is hungry according to several UN Special Rapporteurs,” Amnesty added, calling for action.

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