The CoI reported that more than 75,000 Palestinians, including at least 21,500 children and 11,000 women, had been killed across the occupied Palestinian territory. The commission determined that Israel committed at least four of the five acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, including imposing measures to prevent births. Human Rights Watch, which aligns with the CoI’s findings, noted that nearly 80 percent of infrastructure across the Gaza Strip has been damaged or destroyed, with thousands of people estimated to be missing or buried under rubble.
In direct opposition to these findings, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) published a statement declaring that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza. The AJC argued that the term “genocide” is a specific legal term requiring intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group in whole or in part. The organization stated that Israel’s military objective is to dismantle Hamas and secure the release of hostages, not to destroy the Palestinian people. The AJC emphasized that civilian deaths, even on a large scale, do not by themselves establish the legal threshold for genocide, particularly when an enemy operates from within densely populated civilian areas.
The conflict began following an attack by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a military campaign involving bombardments from air, land, and sea, as well as sieges on Gaza. The CoI also attributed atrocity crimes to Hamas, citing the group’s flagrant violations of international law during the initial assault and its practice of embedding military infrastructure among civilians.
International legal proceedings are ongoing in relation to these allegations. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued three sets of provisional measures since January 2024, demanding that Israeli authorities prevent genocide. The CoI noted that Israel has consistently defied these orders. Additionally, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for two Israeli government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a Hamas official for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN Commission urged for accountability regarding the post-ceasefire operations in the West Bank and Gaza.
