In first, two major Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza – The Times of Israel
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
In first, two major Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of ‘genocide’ in Gaza
B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza. They say Israel has committed three acts of genocide against Palestinians. Israel says it is fighting an existential war against Hamas, which it says is a terrorist group. The groups are the first international groups to make the claim, which is seen as a political statement by the public, not a legal one. The U.S. State Department says it has no plans to intervene in the Gaza conflict, which has killed more than 2,000 people so far. The United Nations says the use of children as human shields is a “grave human rights violation” and “a violation of international humanitarian law.’‘This must stop immediately,’ says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. ‘The world is not ready to accept this as the new normal. It’s time for a change in the way we look at the world, and the world is ready for it’
“An examination of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes, together with statements by senior Israeli politicians and military commanders about the goals of the attack, leads to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip,” reads a statement presenting the report. “In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. ”
A growing number of Israel’s international critics have accused it of genocide in its war against Hamas — some even in the days immediately following the terror group’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages and sparked the fighting.
Major human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have endorsed the charge as the death toll in Gaza has mounted. But this is the first time that leading Israeli human rights watchdogs have made the accusation.
Hamas’s attack on Israel sparked a shift in the country’s policy toward Palestinians in Gaza from “repression and control to destruction and annihilation,” B’Tselem said.
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Israel has consistently and vehemently denied that it is committing genocide, including in an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice. The Israel Defense Forces says that it takes extensive measures not to harm civilians in Gaza, and accuses Hamas of using Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Government officials did not immediately respond to the report by B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights.
Global pressure on Israel has intensified in recent days as reports of starvation in Gaza have spread. In response, Israel announced several measures to increase the flow of aid to the enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed allegations that Israel is pursuing a deliberate policy of starving Gaza’s civilian population.
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But the groups said the conclusion that Israel was carrying out a genocide was clear.
“The definition of genocide is a coordinated attack with the intent to destroy a group,” Yuli Novak, executive director of B’Tselem, said. “For the past 22 months, we have witnessed unprecedented destruction of civilians, deliberate starvation, and mass forced displacement. Gaza’s residents are displaced, bombed, and starved, stripped entirely of their humanity and rights.”
The Physicians for Human Rights-Israel report was a detailed analysis focusing on what it called the step-by-step dismantling of Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems including electricity, clean water and access to food.
Its report said Israel has committed three of the acts of genocide defined by international law, including “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
The Israeli rights groups said repeated statements by Israeli officials and the military endorsing the total destruction, starvation and permanent displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, combined with policies on the ground, have demonstrated that Israel is intentionally trying to destroy Palestinian society.
Guy Shalev, director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, said it was significant that Israeli groups were now leveling the accusation, noting that the Jewish-Israeli public often dismisses accusations of genocide as antisemitic or biased against Israel.
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“Perhaps human rights groups based in Israel, and coming to this conclusion, is a way to confront that accusation and get people to acknowledge the reality,” he said.
Israel asserts that it is fighting an existential war and abides by international law. It has rejected genocide allegations as antisemitic.
The rights groups, while prominent and respected internationally, are considered in Israel to be on the political fringe, and their views are not representative of the vast majority of Israelis. But having the allegation of genocide come from Israeli voices shatters a taboo in a society that has been reticent to criticize Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Like other rights groups, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have not been allowed into Gaza during the war. Their reports are based on documents, eyewitnesses and consultations with legal experts.
Orly Noy, chair of B’Tselem’s executive board, called for more international pressure on Israel to stop its actions.
“This crime must be stopped immediately,” Noy said at a press conference in East Jerusalem. “The responsibility lies first and foremost with Israel, but also with the international community, which must use every means to stop the crimes that are still taking place just 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) from here.”
Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people in their October 7 attack, and took 251 hostage. Fifty are still being held in captivity. Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says nearly 60,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 459.
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Israel and Hamas have engaged in successive rounds of negotiations over the course of the war, leading to two ceasefires and hostage releases, in November 2023 and January to March of this year. Negotiations over another truce and hostage release recently broke down.
In the wake of that impasse, some voices in the government have redoubled their calls on Israel to occupy the Strip and encourage its residents to emigrate, and re-establish settlements there. Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out resettling Gaza.
Major Israeli rights groups brand Gaza campaign ‘genocide’
Rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel say war in Gaza amounts to a “genocide” against Palestinians. Both organisations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued on Monday was their most stark yet. Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Israeli assault has left much of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, in ruins, and according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry has killed at least 59,921 people.
Both organisations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued on Monday was their most stark yet.
“Nothing prepares you for the realisation that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us,” B’Tselem executive director Yuli Novak told a news conference unveiling the two reports.
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“As Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible,” she said.
“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.”
A spokesman from the Israeli prime minister’s office, David Mencer, denounced the allegation.
“We have free speech here in Israel but we strongly reject the accusation,” he said.
“Our defence forces target terrorists and never civilians. Hamas is responsible for the suffering in Gaza.”
Israel’s war in Gaza for the past 21 months began in response to an unprecedented attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
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The Israeli assault has left much of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, in ruins, and according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry has killed at least 59,921 people, most of them civilians.
All Gazans have been driven from their homes at least once since the start of the war, and UN agencies warn that residents face a growing threat of famine and malnutrition.
The International Court of Justice, in an interim ruling in early 2024 in a case lodged by South Africa, found it “plausible” that the Israeli offensive had violated the UN Genocide Convention.
The Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
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The reports from B’Tselem — one of Israel’s best-known rights groups — and Physicians for Human Rights Israel argue that the war’s objectives go further.
B’Tselem’s report cites statements from senior politicians to illustrate that Israel “is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip”.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel’s report documents what the group says is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system”.
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Major Israeli rights groups brand Gaza campaign ‘genocide’
B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights issue a joint report on the Gaza conflict. The report says Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians. The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel has violated the UN Genocide Convention. The UN says the Gaza war has killed at least 59,821 people, many of them children. The U.S. government says the death toll could rise to 100,000 if the conflict continues for another year. The Israeli government says it is only trying to protect its own citizens.
Israeli human rights groups holding a press conference in Jerusalem on July 28 to issue a report saying Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza.
JERUSALEM – Rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said on July 28 that they had concluded the war in Gaza amounts to “genocide” against Palestinians, a first for Israeli NGOs.
Both organisations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued on July 28 was their most stark yet.
“Nothing prepares you for the realisation that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us,” B’Tselem executive director Yuli Novak told a news conference unveiling the two reports.
“As Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible,” she said.
“Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.”
Israel’s war in Gaza for the past 21 months began in response to an unprecedented attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct 7, 2023 .
The Israeli assault has left much of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, in ruins, and according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry has killed at least 59,821 people, most of them civilians.
All Gazans have been driven from their homes at least once since the start of the war, and UN agencies warn that residents face a growing threat of famine and malnutrition.
The International Court of Justice, in an interim ruling in early 2024 in a case lodged by South Africa, found it “plausible” that the Israeli offensive had violated the UN Genocide Convention.
The Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
The reports from B’Tselem – one of Israel’s best-known rights groups – and Physicians for Human Rights Israel argue that the war’s objectives go further.
B’Tselem’s report cites statements from senior politicians to illustrate that Israel “is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip”.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel’s report documents what the group says is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system”. AFP
Trump ‘not particularly’ convinced by Israeli denial of Gaza starvation; Hamas stealing a lot of food
A Jewish father and his six-year-old son were targeted by a mob yesterday chanting “Free Palestine” and “Murderers” at a cafe in a rest area next to Milan. The two were both wearing a kippa and entered the cafe to use the restroom. According to reports in Italian media, several people joined in the chants and the father was pushed to the floor and repeatedly kicked. The incident began as one cashier yelled “Free Palestine” as the father and son were about to enter the restrooms.
The two were both wearing a kippa and entered the cafe to use the restroom.
The incident began as one cashier yelled “Free Palestine” as the father and son were about to enter the restrooms, and other joined in the chants.
“I wasn’t afraid and responded,” the father said, according to La Repubblica daily. “I was angry. I’m not rude or violent, but when you must defend yourself, you must do it.”
At that point, the man started to film what was happening, and then accompanied his son to use the restroom.
????ALERTE INFO ???????????????????? #Italie Lors d’une halte dans une station-service italienne sur la route des vacances, une famille juive ✡️ venue de France ???????? portant la kippa a été prise à partie par plusieurs clients italiens, dont le caissier de la station-service. Sous les cris de… pic.twitter.com/SfUshPxpq1 — Les Spectateurs (@SpectateursFr) July 28, 2025
When the father and son left the restroom, the father said that some 15 or 20 people were waiting for them, demanding that he delete the video. When he refused, he found himself on the floor — while a bystander took the child to a corner to protect him.
The video of the incident, widely circulating on social media, shows people chanting “Free Palestine” and “Murderers,” with one man yelling, “We are not in Gaza, we are in Italy.”
The police arrived after 10 minutes.
“My Italian son-in-law served as an interpreter,” the man said. “I heard the police say the word Netanyahu, but I was just shocked. Afterward, he explained to me that they said [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu should be told to stop the bombing. But I’m not Israeli, I’m French.”
Two Israeli rights groups say their country is committing genocide in Gaza
B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It’s the first time that local Jewish-led organizations have made such accusations against Israel. In Israel, even the government’s strongest critics have largely refrained from making such accusations. Many in Israel view the war in Gaza as a justified response to the deadliest attack in the country’s history and not an attempt to exterminate the Palestinians. Israel says it is fighting an existential war and abides by international law, and has rejected genocide allegations as antisemitic. The International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel, which has denied such allegations and is challenging them at the International Criminal Court. claims echoed those of previous reports from international rights groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The rights groups are considered in Israel to be on the political fringe, and their views are not representative of the vast majority of Israelis. The reports are based on testimonies, documents, eyewitnesses and consultations with legal experts.
The claims by B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel add to an explosive debate over whether Israel’s military offensive in Gaza — launched in response to Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack — amounts to genocide.
The Palestinians, their supporters and international human rights groups make that claim, and the International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel.
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But in Israel, founded in the wake of the Holocaust, even the government’s strongest critics have largely refrained from making such accusations.
That’s because of the deep sensitivities and strong memories of the Nazi genocide of Europe’s Jews, and because many in Israel view the war in Gaza as a justified response to the deadliest attack in the country’s history and not an attempt at extermination.
Shattering a taboo in Israel
The rights groups, while prominent and respected internationally, are considered in Israel to be on the political fringe, and their views are not representative of the vast majority of Israelis. But having the allegation of genocide come from Israeli voices shatters a taboo in a society that has been reticent to criticize Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
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Guy Shalev, director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, said the Jewish-Israeli public often dismisses accusations of genocide as antisemitic or biased against Israel.
“Perhaps human rights groups based in Israel, and coming to this conclusion, is a way to confront that accusation and get people to acknowledge the reality,” he said.
Israel asserts that it is fighting an existential war and abides by international law. It has rejected genocide allegations as antisemitic.
It is challenging such allegations at the International Court of Justice, and it has rejected the International Criminal Court’s allegations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant committed war crimes in Gaza. Both face international arrest warrants.
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Israel’s government on Monday didn’t immediately comment on the reports by B’Tselem and PHRI. Israeli officials largely blame civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying it uses civilians as shields by embedding militants in residential areas.
“Israel’s claim that Hamas fighters or members of other armed Palestinian groups were present in medical or civilian facilities, often made without providing any evidence, cannot justify or explain such widespread, systematic destruction,” the B’Tselem report said.
The reports echo international claims
The rights groups, in separate reports released jointly, said Israel’s policies in Gaza, statements by senior officials about its goals there and the systematic dismantling of the territory’s health system contributed to their conclusion of genocide.
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Their claims echoed those of previous reports from international rights groups like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
Like other rights groups, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have not been allowed into Gaza during the war. Their reports are based on testimonies, documents, eyewitnesses and consultations with legal experts.
Hamas’ attack on Israel that started the war sparked a shift in the country’s policy toward Palestinians in Gaza from “repression and control to destruction and annihilation,” B’Tselem said.
The group has long been outspoken about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. It halted cooperation with the military nearly a decade ago, saying the army’s investigations into wrongdoing weren’t serious, and it has accused Israel of being an apartheid state.
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The PHRI report was a detailed, legal-medical analysis focusing on what it called the step-by-step dismantling of Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems including electricity, clean water and access to food.
Its report says Israel has committed three of the acts of genocide defined by international law, including “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”
The Israeli rights groups said repeated statements by Israeli officials and the military endorsing the total destruction, starvation and permanent displacement of Palestinians in Gaza, combined with policies on the ground, have demonstrated that Israel is intentionally trying to destroy Palestinian society.
A ‘painful’ conclusion
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The term “genocide” strikes a chord in Israel, where Israelis grow up learning about the Holocaust and hearing survivors’ harrowing stories, while promising it would never happen again.
The 1948 Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was drawn up in the aftermath of World War II and the murder by Nazi Germany of 6 million Jews. It defines genocide as acts “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
“As the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, it’s very painful for me to be reaching this conclusion,” said Shalev from PHRI. But after growing up in a society where the Holocaust was so important, it demands some kind of responsibility, he said.
Until now, Israeli criticism of the war in Gaza has been focused on Netanyahu and whether his wartime decision-making has been politically motivated and delayed the return of hostages — 50 of them still in Gaza.
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Broader scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in Gaza has been limited for multiple reasons. Despite the vast destruction and death in the territory and Israel’s growing international isolation, most Israelis have believed for much of the war in its righteousness.
And with most Jewish Israelis serving in the army, it’s difficult for most people to fathom that their relatives in uniform could be carrying out genocide. Some soldiers, however, have refused to fight in the war.
Jeffrey Herf, a historian who has published much on antisemitism, said the allegation of genocide doesn’t take into account that there is a war between two parties. He said it ignores Hamas as a military force and Israel’s right to defend itself.
Israelis’ focus is on the hostages, not Palestinians
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After groups like B’Tselem in recent years accused Israel of apartheid, more mainstream voices in Israel also picked up the claim, although in less sweeping ways.
Israeli historian Tom Segev said he’s not sure the new reports and their allegations will have an impact on the public.
“The major thing for Israelis is a question of the hostages, not necessarily the fate of the population in Gaza,” he said. But he said what’s happening in Gaza is undermining the ideological and moral justification for the existence of Israel.
The rights groups said the international community hasn’t done enough to protect Palestinians and are calling on the world, including Israelis who have stayed silent, to speak up.
“We have an obligation to do everything we can to speak the truth about this, to stand by the victims,” said Sarit Michaeli, the international director for B’Tselem.