🔗 Share this article UN Commission Finds Israel Committed Genocide in the Gaza Strip < lang="en"> An international investigative body determined that Israel committed genocide in the Gaza Strip, stating that senior leaders such as the head of government encouraged these actions. Key Findings of the Report The commission highlighted multiple instances to support its genocide finding, including the extensive fatalities, restrictions of humanitarian assistance, mass evacuations, and the demolition of a medical facility. "Systematic destruction is occurring in the region," declared the head of the commission, a former global justice official. The responsibility for these atrocity crimes rests on the nation's leadership at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza. Israel's Response The Israeli government refused to work with the inquiry, accusing it of having a political agenda targeting the state. An official response from the diplomatic office said, "The nation categorically rejects this misleading and false report and demands the prompt dissolution of this commission of inquiry." Legal and Historical Context International law on genocide, adopted after the systematic killing of Jews by Nazi Germany, defines genocide as crimes committed "with the aim to eliminate, in entirety or sections, a ethnic, racial, racial, or faith-based community." The commission determined that Israeli forces had performed multiple of the specified acts: fatalities; inflicting serious bodily or mental harm; intentionally creating conditions of life designed to cause destruction; and enforcing policies intended to reduce population growth. Supporting Documentation The findings were supported by testimonies with victims, witnesses, doctors, verified open-source documents, and aerial data review gathered since the war began. The commission also found that statements by top officials constituted "clear proof of destructive aims," citing a letter equating the Gaza operation to a "holy war of complete eradication." Global Parallels The head of the commission, who previously led a UN tribunal for the Rwanda atrocities, said the situations were similar. "Upon examining the facts in the 1994 atrocities, it's strikingly alike to this. You strip humanity from your targets. They are portrayed as less than human, and so as a result, without conscience, you can eliminate them," she said. Ongoing Legal Proceedings Israel is currently fighting a legal dispute at the international court of justice in the Netherlands. It denies such claims, citing its right to protection after the lethal 7 October 2023 assault that killed 1,200 people and resulted in hundreds being taken hostage, according to official statistics. The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over sixty-four thousand people, according to the Gaza health ministry, while a international food security agency reports that part of it is suffering from famine.