In a 300-page report released today, Amnesty International accuses the State of Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023. The London-based organization relies on “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials”, satellite images, field investigations and first-hand accounts from Gaza.
“Month after month, Israel has treated the Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intention to physically destroy them,” said Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, during a press conference in The Hague.
The NGO notably investigated 15 airstrikes carried out between October 2023 and April 2024, which allegedly caused the deaths of 334 civilians, including 141 children. “We found no evidence that these strikes targeted military objectives,” says the organization.
The report also highlights the imposition of a “total siege” on Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, with the suspension of supplies of “electricity, water and gas.” Although limited supplies have since been authorized, Amnesty says Gazans continue to face “malnutrition, hunger and disease”, constituting what it describes as a “slow and calculated death”.
-Agnes Callamard warns: “States that transfer weapons to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide under the convention and risk becoming complicit.”
For its part, the IDF emphasizes that it regularly takes measures to minimize harm caused to civilians during its operations in Gaza. The Israeli army recalls that Hamas uses civilians as human shields, systematically placing its rockets, weapons depots and headquarters in schools, mosques, hospitals and residential buildings.
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