UN report says Israeli practices against Palestinians may amount to genocide

A report presented to the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council states that Israeli practices against Palestinians since 7th October 2023 may amount to genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The report was submitted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. Titled “Torture and Genocide”, it examines the systematic use of torture within Israeli detention practices as well as broader policies affecting Palestinians.

According to the report, the use of torture and ill-treatment occurs both inside and outside detention settings and forms part of a wider pattern that includes mass killings, forced displacement, destruction of livelihoods and the denial of basic necessities. The document argues that these conditions have resulted in long-term physical and psychological harm to the Palestinian population.

The report also states that Israel’s detention system has developed into what it describes as a structure characterised by humiliation, coercion and systematic intimidation, aimed at stripping Palestinians of freedom, dignity and identity. It argues that these practices are not isolated incidents but reflect institutionalised policies with political backing.

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In addition, the report concludes that the deliberate destruction of living conditions — including attacks on homes and infrastructure and restrictions on access to medical care and food — may constitute serious physical and mental harm under Article II of the Genocide Convention.

The Special Rapporteur called on the Israeli government to immediately halt all forms of torture and ill-treatment and urged the dismantling of what the report describes as an apartheid system, as well as an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.

The report also recommended granting access to detention facilities for the International Committee of the Red Cross, UN investigative bodies and independent experts to examine alleged violations.

It further urged member states to avoid complicity in potential crimes and to take steps to prevent violations and ensure accountability. The report called on the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate allegations of genocide, torture and ill-treatment and to consider possible arrest warrants against Israeli political, military and security officials.

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