Two of Israel’s most prominent human rights organisations have issued landmark reports this week, accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and calling on the international community to intervene.
In separate reports published on Monday, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel) concluded that Israel’s actions during its ongoing war in Gaza fulfil key legal definitions of genocide under international law. The accusations come as the death toll in Gaza nears 60,000, including tens of thousands of women, children and elderly people, and amid what rights groups describe as the systemic destruction of Palestinian society.
“What we see is a clear, intentional attack on civilians in order to destroy a group,” said director of B’Tselem Yuli Novak,. “I think every human being has to ask himself: what do you do in the face of genocide?”
“Deliberate and systematic”
B’Tselem’s 88-page report asserts that Israel is taking coordinated action to “intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip,” citing extensive documentation of mass killings, forced displacement, starvation, and the collapse of healthcare, education and civil infrastructure.
PHR-Israel’s 65-page health-focused legal report further found that Israel has targeted Gaza’s healthcare system in a “calculated and systematic” manner. The report highlights attacks on hospitals, the obstruction of medical aid, and the killing and detention of healthcare workers.
“The destruction of Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems alone meets the definition of genocide under Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention,” said Dr Guy Shalev, Executive Director of PHR-Israel. “Silence in the face of genocide is not an option.”
“Genocidal intent”
Both organisations pointed to the legal precedent that genocidal intent can be inferred from a pattern of conduct, as established by international criminal tribunals. They warned that statements from Israeli political and military leaders have been openly dehumanising and inciteful since the start of the war.
The reports cite examples of senior Israeli officials referring to Palestinians in Gaza as “human animals” and declaring that “there are no civilians” in the territory. “If the leadership of Israel, whether the army leadership and the political leadership, knows about the consequences of this policy and keep going, it is very clear that is intentional,” said Novak.
The Israeli government rejected the accusations, with spokesperson David Mencer dismissing them as “baseless.” He added, “There is no intent, [which is] key for the charge of genocide ... It simply doesn’t make sense for a country to send in 1.9m tons of aid, most of that being food, if there is an intent of genocide.”
International legal implications
South Africa has brought a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of genocide - a case that is currently under examination. The ICJ has already issued emergency measures requiring Israel to prevent genocidal acts.
Novak stressed that genocide is not only a legal issue. “It’s a social and political phenomenon,” she said.
"To really understand that your country, your collective, is actually committing genocide, that is a very hard mental and personal process… It breaks something very basic in your understanding about who we are."
PHR-Israel and B’Tselem emphasised that the responsibility to act lies not just with Israel but with its international allies. “It couldn’t happen without the support of the western world,” Novak said. “Any leader that is not doing whatever they can to stop it is part of this horror.”
Risks of escalation
B’Tselem warned that the genocidal campaign in Gaza could soon expand to other Palestinian territories, particularly the occupied West Bank, where more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 40,000 displaced since October 2023.
“What we worry about and want to warn about is the fact that any small trigger might make the genocide spill over from Gaza into the West Bank.” said Novak.
PHR-Israel added that the long-term impact of the destruction will linger well beyond any ceasefire.