Israel Accused of Genocide in Gaza by Multiple International Bodies
Multiple international organizations and legal bodies have accused Israel of committing genocide and war crimes in Gaza, according to a report detailing events from 2024 to September 2025. These accusations stem from the ongoing conflict following the October 7th attacks. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced its decision to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes, including using starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
Further allegations were amplified by statements from U.S. senators like Bernie Sanders, who claimed Israel was fighting the entire Palestinian people, and reports from human rights organizations. Physicians for Human Rights documented the experiences of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Gaza, highlighting the impact of collapsing healthcare services, forced displacement, and starvation policies. The International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution in September 2025 stating that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing legal criteria.
Human Rights Watch published a report in December 2024 asserting that Israeli authorities intentionally created living conditions in Gaza aimed at destroying a portion of the population, leading to thousands of deaths and constituting crimes against humanity and potentially genocide. The UN Human Rights Council also released a report in September 2025 concluding that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, based on two years of investigations into events since October 2023. The commission cited explicit statements from Israeli civilian and military authorities and patterns of behavior indicating an intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza, either fully or partially.
The UN commission's report, chaired by Navi Pillay, stated that Israel is responsible for committing genocide in Gaza and has failed to prevent or punish it. The investigation examined Israeli military actions, including mass casualties, a complete blockade leading to starvation, systematic destruction of health and education systems, direct harm to children, systematic sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on cultural sites, and disregard for International Court of Justice orders.
Amidst these international accusations, the article criticizes Israel for restricting journalists' access to Gaza, preventing independent reporting on the conflict. The author, Pearly Shahar, a journalist and peace activist, argues that Israel is conducting the war without effective public relations and suggests that instead of focusing on film creators, the government should establish a state commission of inquiry, headed by a judge, whose conclusions would be respected internationally. The article implies that the award given to the film NAZA at Venice was a foregone conclusion given the prevailing international narrative.
