We have concluded that genocide is ongoing in Gaza and continues to occur, and the responsibility lies with the country Israel, says the investigator Navi Pillay to the news agency AFP.
She is one of three experts in a commission that was created four years ago, and which investigates human rights abuses in the Palestinian areas. The group has been appointed by UNHRC, the UN Human Rights Council, but does not speak on behalf of the world organization as a whole.
Increasing number of cases
Its conclusion of genocide in a report on Tuesday is well-documented, writes the news agency AP and other international media. They refer, among other things, to aid blockades that have led to starvation, that the majority of Gaza's million population is forced to flee time and time again, and that child and maternal care has been destroyed. The scale of the violence is also mentioned as a factor – this week, figures emerged that one-tenth of Gaza's entire population has either been injured or killed in Israeli attacks.
But just like in the increasing number of cases where experts and politicians around the world accuse Israel of genocide, the Jerusalem government rejects the conclusions as completely wrong.
"Israel categorically rejects this distorted and incorrect report, and calls for the immediate dissolution of the commission of inquiry", it says in a statement from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ongoing case in ICJ
However, no final judgment has yet been made in the matter of possible genocide in Gaza. The International Court of Justice in The Hague, ICJ, has an ongoing case where South Africa accuses Israel of genocide. Several countries have joined both sides in the case, i.e. to Israel's defense and to South Africa's accusations.
During the proceedings, ICJ's judges have made preliminary statements that Israel must take measures to, among other things, protect the civilian population. But when the case will be decided is unclear. The next important date is in early 2026, when Israel will have to respond point by point to the detailed accusations that South Africa has presented.
