The human rights organisation Amnesty International has today accused Israel of committing “genocide” against Palestinians since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, releasing a report intended to serve as a “wake-up call for the international community.”
The NGO stated that it reached this conclusion after examining “genocidal” rhetoric and the “dehumanisation” of Palestinians by the Israeli government, using satellite imagery documenting the scale of destruction in the Palestinian enclave, field investigations, and interviews with Gaza residents conducted between 7 October 2023 and July 2024.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said that month after month, Israel has treated the Palestinians of Gaza as subhuman, unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to destroy them.
She added that their findings should serve as a wake-up call to the international community, and that genocide is being committed and must be stopped now, according to a press release accompanying the NGO’s report.
Following an unprecedented attack on its territory by the military wing of Hamas, which triggered the war on 7 October 2023 and has continued for 426 days in Gaza, Israel has defended its large-scale military operations, claiming they aim to eliminate the Palestinian Islamist movement.
“Let’s be clear: military objectives can align with genocidal intent,” Callamard insisted during a press conference in The Hague.
The 300-page report cites examples such as 15 aerial bombings between 7 October and 20 April 2024 that killed 334 civilians, including 141 children. Amnesty emphasised that it found “no evidence” that these strikes targeted military objectives.
Since the war began, at least 44,532 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were civilians, according to data from the Hamas-led health ministry in the enclave, which the UN considers reliable.
Amnesty International also highlighted the living conditions of Palestinians in the enclave, stating they endure “malnutrition, famine, and disease,” and are subjected to “slow, calculated death.”
Callamard futher noted that the United States, which supplies weapons to Israel, violates its obligation to prevent genocide and risks becoming complicit.
The NGO has announced plans to release a separate report on crimes committed by Hamas on Israeli territory on 7 October 2023.
The attack on that date claimed the lives of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. This includes hostages who died in captivity or were already deceased when taken to Gaza.
Also read: Hamas calls the US a “partner” in the “genocide” of Palestinians by Israel
Photo source: Al Jazeera
Source: ANA-MPA
