Amnesty: Israel committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza

Prominent human rights group, Amnesty International, has accused Israel of committing acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, urging the global community to intervene immediately to halt the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

In a new report titled, “You Feel Like You Are Subhuman: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza,” released yesterday, Amnesty highlighted systematic attacks on Palestinian civilians and infrastructure, combined with dehumanising rhetoric from Israeli officials, as evidence of genocidal intent.

The findings follow Israel launching a genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 44,580 Palestinian, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,700.

Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them

Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.

“Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now,” she added.

Amnesty’s report is based on satellite imagery, field investigations, witness accounts and a review of statements by Israeli officials and military personnel. It accuses Israel of deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure, including homes, schools and hospitals, with no evidence of military objectives in many cases.

Between 7 October 2023 and April 2024, the report documented 15 air strikes that killed 334 Palestinian civilians, including 141 children, where no military activity was identified.

READ: Misconduct of Israeli soldiers in Gaza

The report also highlights inflammatory statements by Israeli officials, including calls for the “annihilation” and “erasure” of Gaza.

Such statements highlighted “not only systemic impunity but also the creation of an environment that emboldens such behaviour. Governments must stop pretending that they are powerless to terminate Israel’s occupation, dismantle apartheid, and prevent genocide in Gaza,” said Callamard.

“States that transfer arms to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide under the convention and are at risk of becoming complicit,” she added. Callamard also said the international community was guilty of a “seismic, shameful failure” in Gaza by failing to “press Israel to end its atrocities.”

By delaying calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and continuing to send weapons to Israel, the international community’s failure “will remain a stain on our collective conscience”, she stated.

“States need to move beyond mere expressions of regret or dismay and take strong and sustained international action, however uncomfortable a finding of genocide may be for some of Israel’s allies.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry slammed “the deplorable and fanatical organisation Amnesty International” following the publication of the report.

In a statement, the ministry said it is “a fabricated report that is entirely false and based on lies.”

“The genocidal massacre on October 7, 2023, was carried out by the Hamas terrorist organisation against Israeli citizens,” claimed the Foreign Ministry. “Since then, Israeli citizens have been subjected to daily attacks from seven different fronts. Israel is defending itself against these attacks acting fully in accordance with international law.”

Israeli impunity: Genocide, occupation and apartheid