The world’s leading body of genocide experts has declared that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, in a resolution that could intensify global scrutiny of the war.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a 500-member organisation founded in 1994, announced on Monday that 86% of members who voted backed the resolution. It states that Israel’s “policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).”
Resolution details
The three-page resolution calls on Israel to “immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.” It cites deliberate attacks on civilians, starvation, blocking of humanitarian aid, destruction of vital infrastructure, forced displacement, and sexual and reproductive violence among actions that fall within the U.N. definition of genocide.
Melanie O’Brien, president of the IAGS and a professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, said the decision was clear: “This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide.”
Israel rejects accusations
Israel has long rejected genocide allegations, insisting its actions are acts of self-defence following Hamas’ October 2023 assault that killed 1,200 people and led to more than 250 hostages being taken. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed 63,000 people, destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, and displaced nearly all residents at least once, according to figures cited in the resolution.
Israel is also currently defending itself at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague against separate genocide charges.
Reaction from Gaza and beyond
As reported in Reuters, in Gaza, Hamas welcomed the resolution. “This prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.
The resolution, he added, “places a legal and moral obligation on the international community to take urgent action to stop the crime, protect civilians, and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable.”
Sergey Vasiliev, a professor of international law at the Open University in the Netherlands, said the resolution shows that “this legal assessment has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies.”
Growing calls for recognition
Since its founding, the IAGS has passed nine resolutions recognising historical or ongoing genocides. Its latest move comes as rights groups, NGOs, and even U.N. staff intensify pressure for official recognition of events in Gaza as genocide.
Last week, hundreds of staff members at the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote to Volker Turk urging him to explicitly describe the conflict as an unfolding genocide.
The U.N. Genocide Convention requires all member states to act to prevent and stop genocide, raising questions over how governments will respond to the scholars’ assessment.
