In a landmark report set to be presented at the UN General Assembly today, a UN special committee concluded that Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza meet the definition of genocide. The findings, supported by Human Rights Watch (HRW), highlight widespread civilian casualties, forced displacement, and life-threatening conditions imposed on Palestinians, raising serious allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of Palestinians and Other Arabs in the Occupied Territories detailed its investigation, conducted between October 2023 and July 2024, in a report released last Thursday. The report accuses Israel of systematically targeting Gaza’s civilian population through siege, starvation, and destruction, resulting in catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
“Since the beginning of the war, Israeli officials have publicly supported policies that strip Palestinians of the very necessities required to sustain life – food, water, and fuel,” the committee stated. It cited Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian aid and systematic targeting of civilians as evidence of intentional acts to inflict collective punishment, a key element of genocide under international law.
The UN report highlighted the deliberate deprivation of vital resources as a hallmark of Israel’s strategy in Gaza. By obstructing food, water, and medical supplies, the committee alleged that Israel “intentionally causes death, starvation, and serious injury” and uses hunger as a method of war.
Further compounding the crisis, the report noted the environmental devastation caused by over 25,000 tons of explosives – equivalent to two nuclear bombs – dropped on Gaza by early 2024. This has decimated essential services, including water and sanitation systems, while rendering vast swaths of the territory uninhabitable.
“The Israeli military’s use of AI-assisted targeting, with minimal human oversight, combined with heavy bombs, underscores Israel’s disregard of its obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants,” the report said.
Human Rights Watch (HRW), in its 154-page report released Thursday, accused Israeli authorities of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including ethnic cleansing. HRW documented how Israeli forces have carried out systematic demolitions of civilian infrastructure and forced the displacement of over 90% of Gaza’s population – approximately 1.9 million people.
“Israel’s mass displacement of Palestinians is neither justified by military necessity nor consistent with the laws of war,” said Nadia Hardman, a refugee and migrant rights researcher at HRW. “It has left Gaza’s population hopeless, starving, and besieged.”
HRW further detailed the destruction of evacuation routes and so-called safe zones, stating that Israeli forces have bombed these areas, trapping civilians in an escalating humanitarian disaster. The report also accused Israel of perpetuating apartheid policies by denying Palestinians their right to return to their homes.
The reports coincide with new data from Gaza’s health authorities, which estimate that at least 43,736 Palestinians have been killed and 103,370 injured since October 2023. Among the casualties are disproportionately high numbers of women, children, and elderly individuals.
In the last two days alone, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported six failed attempts to deliver lifesaving aid to Gaza due to Israeli blockades. The lack of access to humanitarian corridors has left hundreds of thousands without food, water, or medical assistance.
Louise Wateridge, a senior emergency officer with UNRWA, described the dire situation: “People are trapped in residential buildings, running out of food, and unable to access emergency healthcare. The destruction is total.”
The UN committee’s report has urged Member States to take immediate action to uphold international law and hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza. “A failure to do so weakens the very core of the international legal system and sets a dangerous precedent, allowing atrocities to go unchecked,” the committee said.
HRW has echoed these calls, urging governments to suspend military aid to Israel and adopt targeted sanctions to pressure compliance with international obligations. “No one can be in denial about the atrocity crimes the Israeli military is committing against Palestinians in Gaza,” Hardman said.
As the UN General Assembly convenes to discuss the findings, international observers warn that the ongoing humanitarian disaster in Gaza demands swift and decisive global action to prevent further atrocities and ensure accountability for violations of human rights and international law.
