Since the October 7 attacks, hundreds of humanitarian NGOs and INGOs have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, including a United Nations special committee, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Genocide Watch, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Doctors Without Borders. Some humanitarian groups, such as Jewish Voice for Peace and Defence for Children International, have warned of a risk of genocide or called for investigations into genocide without explicitly accusing Israel of genocide.
Actions by Israel commonly cited by humanitarian groups as grounds for qualifying as genocide under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention [a] include allegations of collective punishment; restricting access to food, water, fuel, and electricity to induce famine; destruction of medical services; destruction of civilian infrastructure; committing sexual violence; shooting civilians; bombing civilians; and using chemical weapons on civilians. [2]
Additional actions by Israel commonly cited by humanitarian groups as proof of genocidal intent include the use of dehumanizing language; population transfer; failure to distinguish between Hamas combatants and noncombatants (such as doctors) in official justifications; failure to distinguish between Hamas and civilians in official justifications; minimizing civilian protection obligations; ignoring ICJ demands of deescalating the conflict; ignoring or downplaying UN, ICJ, and humanitarian alerts of mass civilian death; the amount of health workers killed during the conflict; and the amount of journalists killed during the conflict.[ citation needed ]
Our report leaves no room for ambiguity. A genocide is unfolding before our eyes. Failing to act now—failing to put an end to this atrocity crime— will tear apart the very foundation of the international rule of law we have collectively built to protect peace, security, and the well-being of all. Our inaction today is setting a perilous precedent for tomorrow. Think about it.