Image Source: The United Nations
Gaza – Despite denials by Israeli officials, Western leaders and media supporters, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices has released a report asserting that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.
Covering the period from October 2023 to July 2024, the report accuses Israel of intentionally creating conditions that threaten the survival of Palestinians while obstructing critical humanitarian aid.
“Through its siege over Gaza, obstruction of humanitarian aid, alongside targeted attacks and killing of civilians and aid workers, despite repeated UN appeals, binding orders from the International Court of Justice and resolutions of the Security Council, Israel is intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population,” the Committee stated.
The report further highlights how Israeli policies have weaponised access to necessities such as food, water, and fuel. By systematically denying these essentials, the Committee asserts that Israel has deliberately leveraged life-sustaining supplies to advance its political and military objectives.
The Destruction of Gaza
The scale of destruction in Gaza is staggering and unprecedented. Since October last year, relentless Israeli airstrikes have killed over 44,000 Palestinians, with densely populated areas enduring constant attacks that bring new victims every day.
The report indicates that by early 2024, Israeli forces had dropped more than 25,000 tons of explosives, equivalent to the force of two nuclear bombs, obliterating essential infrastructure, including water systems, sanitation facilities, and agricultural resources.
This devastation has unleashed severe health crises and long-term environmental damage, deepening an already catastrophic humanitarian emergency.
“By destroying vital water, sanitation and food systems, and contaminating the environment, Israel has created a lethal mix of crises that will inflict severe harm on generations to come.”
The Committee also condemned Israel’s use of AI-assisted targeting systems, which have disproportionately affected civilians, including women and children. It criticised the lack of safeguards and the apparent disregard for international legal obligations to differentiate combatants from civilians.
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A Call to Action
The Committee urged Member States to act immediately to uphold international law and hold Israel accountable. Failure to intervene, it warned, risks emboldening impunity and setting a dangerous precedent for unchecked atrocities.
The responsibility, the Commitee stressed, lies with the collective will of the global community. It also called for decisive measures to end the assault on Gaza, dismantle the injustices of the apartheid system in the occupied Palestinian territories, and safeguard the principles of international law.
“Upholding international law and ensuring accountability for violations rests squarely on Member States. A failure to do so weakens the very core of the international legal system and sets a dangerous precedent, allowing atrocities to go unchecked.”
