B’Tselem: Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip
In a new report, the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem describes the development of a “genocidal regime in Israel, working to destroy Palestinian society in Gaza.” Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) has published a legal-medical analysis documenting the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system. Both Israeli organizations call on Israelis and the international community to take immediate action to stop the genocide, using all legal tools available under international law.
B’Tselem’s new report, released today (Monday), states: “An examination of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack, leads us to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip.”
The report presents statistics, personal testimonies and documentation that paint a grim picture of a deliberate Israeli policy to destroy Palestinian society in Gaza, alongside widespread incitement to genocide by political and military leaders and in Israeli public discourse. B’Tselem warns that Israel is already replicating its patterns of destruction and annihilation, currently being implemented in Gaza, in the West Bank as well – albeit on a smaller scale – and that there is a real risk the genocide will spread beyond the Gaza Strip.
“Nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us,” said B’Tselem Executive Director Yuli Novak. “But as Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. Our genocide has context,” Novak continued. “After decades of separation, and of dehumanization of Palestinians, the horrors of the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, created deep existential fear among Israelis. The extremist, far-right messianic government is using that fear to promote an agenda of destruction and expulsion. The lives of all Palestinians, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, are being treated as worthless. They can be starved, killed, displaced – and the situation keeps getting worse. The world must stop the crimes Israel is committing now.”
PHRI’s report offers a detailed legal-medical analysis of Israel’s ongoing military assault in Gaza, concluding that the onslaught meets the criteria for genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which Israel is a signatory.
The organization also calls on health and humanitarian communities worldwide to act urgently in response to the humanitarian catastrophe, which demands immediate intervention and global solidarity.
“The evidence shows a deliberate and systematic dismantling of Gaza’s healthcare system and other vital systems necessary for the population’s survival,” the PHRI report states.
“This includes direct attacks on hospitals, blocking of medical aid and evacuations, and the killing and arrest of medical personnel. This is not incidental damage from war – it is a deliberate policy aimed at harming the Palestinian population as a group.”
“Israel is knowingly destroying Gaza’s health system,” said Dr. Guy Shalev, Executive Director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. “As people who believe in the sanctity of life, we are obligated to speak the truth: this is genocide, and we must fight it. For 22 months, hospital after hospital has been attacked, patients have been denied life-saving treatment, and aid has been blocked. This is a clear and consistent pattern of destruction. It is our duty as medical professionals, and to our colleagues in Gaza who are risking their lives to save others under impossible conditions, to face the truth and do everything we can to protect them.”
Both organizations harshly criticize the international community, which, whether through active support or inaction, is complicit in Israel’s attacks on Gaza. They call on world leaders to use every means available under international law to stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians.