Elham Asaad Buaras
In a historic condemnation, a UN commission has confirmed the conclusion of the world’s leading genocide scholars: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This unprecedented consensus reveals a systematic campaign of destruction. It is documented through mass killings, deliberate famine, and explicit genocidal intent from Israel’s highest officials. Together, these findings form one of the most severe indictments ever made against a UN member state.
The first landmark judgement came on August 31 from the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS). Its members—over 500 top historians and legal experts—passed a resolution with 86% support declaring Israel’s actions a genocide. IAGS President Melanie O’Brien called it a “definitive statement” from experts that genocide is occurring in Gaza.
This verdict was reinforced on September 16 by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry. Chaired by Navi Pillay, former president of the Rwanda Tribunal, the commission found “reasonable grounds” to conclude Israel is guilty of genocide. It stated that the atrocities were so widespread that “genocidal intent was the only reasonable inference.” The report detailed crimes matching four of the five acts prohibited by the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The primary crime is mass killing. Israel’s repeated use of heavy munitions on densely populated areas has killed over 64,905 Palestinians. Entire families have been annihilated in airstrikes on apartments, schools, and refugee camps.
Beyond killing, the reports detail inflicting severe bodily and mental harm. This includes the forced displacement of 2.3 million people, the systematic torture of detainees, and relentless psychological trauma from constant bombardment.
The destruction targets Gaza’s very conditions for survival. Over 90% of housing is rubble. Healthcare, water, and sanitation systems have been dismantled. The intentional blocking of aid has caused a UN-declared famine. This is a deliberate strategy to make Gaza uninhabitable—a direct violation of the Genocide Convention.
A stark symbol of this is the Israeli airstrike that destroyed Gaza’s largest fertility clinic. It obliterated 4,000 embryos and 1,000 sperm samples—a direct assault on Palestinian reproductive future and an act intended to prevent births within the group.
These actions become genocide because of the documented intent from Israeli leaders. The UN report explicitly cites President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for incitement.
Netanyahu’s vow to reduce Gaza to “rubble” and his description of it as a “wicked city” signal collective punishment. Gallant’s calling Palestinians “human animals” and Herzog’s claim of collective guilt further underscore a pattern of dehumanization.
Israel dismissed the accusations as “distorted and false,” calling the UN commissioners “Hamas proxies.” It similarly rejected the IAGS resolution as an “embarrassment.” These attacks have failed to discredit the mounting evidence. Instead, they highlight the international community’s legal obligations.
The Genocide Convention requires all signatory states to prevent and punish genocide. The UN commission warned that nations failing to act risk complicity. Navi Pillay hinted that future investigations may name Israel’s allies as “co-conspirators,” especially those continuing to supply weapons.
This convergence of findings is a seismic moment. It provides the most authoritative basis for cases at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court. It places Israel and its unconditional supporters under the gravest possible charge.
Feature photo: Smoke billows from the remains of three UNRWA schools and several apartment buildings in Gaza’s al-Shati Refugee Camp, targeted by Israeli forces on September 13. These structures had been serving as shelters for displaced Palestinians, their safe havens reduced to rubble. (Credit: Khames Alrefi/AA)
