GENEVA — A United Nations inquiry declared that genocide in Gaza is taking place, holding senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accountable. The commission accused top officials of inciting and overseeing a destructive campaign, allegations Israel has labeled “scandalous.”
The 72-page report highlights large-scale killings, forced displacement, aid restrictions, and the demolition of medical facilities, including a fertility clinic. These findings strengthen earlier warnings from human rights groups that genocide in Gaza is underway.
Navi Pillay, head of the Commission of Inquiry and a former judge at the International Criminal Court, said: “Genocide is occurring in Gaza. Israeli authorities at the highest levels bear responsibility for orchestrating a campaign to destroy the Palestinian group.”
Israel Rejects Genocide in Gaza Findings
Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Daniel Meron, dismissed the report as “fake” and politically biased. He described the commission as aligned with “Hamas proxies,” insisting Israel’s actions are justified as self-defense after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages.
Israel refused to cooperate with the inquiry, arguing it has strayed from its mandate. Still, this inquiry marks the most forceful U.N.-backed legal assessment so far on genocide in Gaza.
Evidence Supporting Genocide in Gaza
The report draws on interviews with victims and witnesses, satellite imagery, and verified open-source material. It concluded that Israel carried out four of the five acts defined as genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention. These include killings and causing serious physical or mental harm. The report also mentions creating living conditions designed to bring about destruction. In addition, it accuses Israel of imposing measures to prevent births.
The inquiry also documented statements by Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as direct evidence of genocidal intent. A letter Netanyahu sent to soldiers in November 2023 urged a “holy war of annihilation.”
Comparisons to Rwanda
Pillay, who also led the Rwanda genocide tribunal, said the dehumanization of Palestinians mirrored patterns she had seen before. “When victims are called animals, killing them becomes effortless,” she explained.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 64,000 Palestinian deaths, while aid monitors warn that famine is spreading in parts of Gaza.
Pillay expressed hope that the findings will push more states to acknowledge genocide in Gaza before her retirement in November.
