WMF NEWS

The world’s leading association of genocide scholars has declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

In a resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the group concluded that Israel’s actions meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

The IAGS — the world’s largest professional body of genocide experts, including Holocaust scholars — reviewed Israel’s conduct during the 22-month war. Out of its 500 members, 28% participated in the vote, with 86% supporting the resolution.

The three-page declaration highlights widespread Israeli attacks on essential survival systems in Gaza, including hospitals, aid facilities, and schools. It also cites UNICEF figures that over 50,000 children have been killed or injured, severely undermining Palestinians’ ability to survive as a people.

The resolution points to Israeli leaders’ rhetoric advocating the expulsion of Palestinians and vows to “flatten Gaza,” describing such statements as dehumanising and genocidal in nature. It also stresses the near-total destruction of Gaza’s housing.

Israel rejected the resolution, calling it “based on Hamas lies” and an “embarrassment to the legal profession.” Israeli officials argue the country is the victim of genocide and insist its military actions are acts of self-defence in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.

The IAGS underlined that while the Hamas assault was itself a crime, Israel’s military campaign has extended beyond combatting Hamas, targeting Gaza’s entire civilian population.