'Israel’s' Gaza campaign meets UN definition: Genocide scholars
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The International Association of Genocide Scholars has declared that "Israel’s" actions in Gaza meet the UN definition of genocide, urging the international community to act.
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Palestinians mourn over the bodies of people killed either by Israeli military strikes or while trying to reach aid trucks, outside Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, on August 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
The world’s leading association of genocide experts has passed a resolution on the genocide in Gaza, declaring that "Israel’s" military campaign in the Strip meets the legal definition of genocide under international law.
86% of voting members of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) supported the resolution, which states, "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)."
The resolution comes as "Israel" faces a separate ICJ Gaza genocide case at The Hague, brought by South Africa. While "Israel" claims its campaign is self-defense, critics argue its systematic targeting of civilians, destruction of homes, and deprivation of aid and food amount to genocidal acts.
Since October 2023, "Israel’s" genocide has killed an estimated 63,000 Palestinians, displaced nearly the entire population, and devastated most of Gaza’s infrastructure.
Humanitarian impact on Palestinians
The IAGS resolution lists numerous actions that meet the threshold of genocide, such as "deliberate attacks against civilians, including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, and fuel; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement."
These conditions, coupled with widespread destruction, underscore the severity of the crisis. The humanitarian toll reflects not only mass civilian deaths but also ongoing Palestinian famine and displacement.
Hamas welcomed the declaration, with spokesperson Ismail al-Thawabta calling it a reinforcement of “documented evidence and facts presented before international courts.” He added that the decision places a “legal and moral obligation” on the international community to act.
Melanie O’Brien, IAGS president and professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, said, “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.”
Other scholars stressed its significance. Sergey Vasiliev of the Open University in the Netherlands noted that the genocide determination “has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health said on Monday that the overall death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression has risen to 63,557 martyrs and 160,660 injuries recorded since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023. Between March 18, 2025, and today, 11,426 people have been killed and 48,619 injured, have been recorded.
