Israel’s war in Gaza amounts to genocide: Amnesty

LONDON

Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of "committing genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying its new report was a "wake-up call" for the international community.

The London-based rights organization said its findings were based on "dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,” satellite images documenting devastation, fieldwork and ground reports from Gazans.

"Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them," Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement.

"Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: This is genocide. It must stop now," she added.

At least 44,532 people have been killed in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

"There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent," Callamard said at a press conference in The Hague.

She said the organization had based its findings on the criteria set out in the U.N. Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.

Israel dismissed the report as "entirely false,” accusing Amnesty International of being a “deplorable and fanatical organization” and “producing a fabricated report based on lies.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli branch of the international rights group also rejected the report by the umbrella group.

The Israeli branch said that it was not involved in the research, funding or writing of the report.

Despite rejecting the claim of genocide, Amnesty Israel nevertheless asserted that Israel’s actions in Gaza “raise suspicions of widespread and serious violations of international law and crimes against humanity.”

In a separate statement obtained by the Haaretz newspaper, several members of Amnesty Israel and Jewish members of Amnesty International go one step further and accuse the report of producing an “artificial analysis” of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

In another development, Israeli soldiers and officers involved in the war on Gaza have been advised to avoid international travel, as fears grow that decisions by the International Criminal Court (ICC) could lead to arrests and investigations into alleged war crimes, according to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

The Israeli army has reportedly tracked around 30 complaints and legal actions targeting its personnel for their roles in Gaza operations. Concerned about possible detentions, the military ordered eight soldiers stationed in Greek Cyprus, the Netherlands and Slovenia to return immediately.

Officers and soldiers have been instructed to remove any photos or videos documenting their involvement in Gaza from social media platforms.