Is Israel committing a genocide in Gaza?

**14. Is Israel committing a genocide in Gaza? **

Yes, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This genocide did not begin on October 7, 2023, but rather, a new phase of it began as Israel has been engaged in a genocide against Palestinians since its founding in 1948.¹ Both the genocidal actions and the intent are recorded in Israeli massacres against Palestinians over the decades and their declarations for the erasure or destruction of Palestinians as a group.^{2 3}

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention) is the instrument in international law that both defines genocide and establishes state duties to prevent it. It defines genocide as follows:

“Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: 


(a) Killing members of the group; 


(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; 


(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; 


(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;


(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.”[^4]

During the last 15 months of Israel’s new genocidal aggression against Gaza, its representatives have made their intentions about the destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza abundantly clear.⁴

Furthermore, Israel and Israeli forces have worked tirelessly to destroy as many Palestinians in Gaza as possible, killing members of the group; causing serious bodily harm through bombings, shootings, torture, and the systematic denial of food, water, electricity, and medical care; deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction through the siege which has prevented these necessary resources, as well as the targeted bombings of life-saving infrastructure, including water infrastructure, shelters for displaced people, and hospitals which are protected spaces under international law. There are also many cases of missing or disappeared children and adults who many fear have been abducted by Israeli forces in the midst of the genocide.^{5 6}

Israel is currently facing a trial by the International Court of Justice brought about by South Africa and supported by a number of states for the crime of genocide.⁷

Notes