What began as a military operation against Hamas has escalated into large-scale crimes against civilians. The International Association of Genocide Scholars has declared that Israel’s actions in Gaza fall under the legal definition of genocide. The resolution cites indiscriminate attacks on civilians, the denial of water and humanitarian aid, and forced displacement—steps that experts regard as evidence of a systematic policy of destruction.
An overwhelming majority of members of the leading international association of genocide scholars backed the resolution stating that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of the crime.
The resolution was supported by 86% of participants in the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), which has about 500 members. The text of the resolution states that “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza correspond to the legal definition of genocide set out in Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).”
The three-page document adopted by the organization calls on Israel “to immediately cease all actions constituting genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberate attacks and killings of civilians, including children; starvation; denial of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other life-sustaining necessities; sexual and reproductive violence; as well as the forced displacement of the population.”
The resolution notes that the Association recognizes: “Since the horrific Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023—which itself constitutes international crimes—the government of Israel has engaged in systematic and widespread crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide, including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza—hospitals, homes, and commercial buildings.”
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IAGS President Melanie O’Brien, a professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, stressed that the adopted document is “a definitive statement from experts in genocide studies that what is happening in Gaza is genocide.”
Founded in 1994, the Association brings together a wide range of specialists—historians, political scientists, researchers, and human rights advocates. In the past it has adopted resolutions identifying genocide, including historical cases such as the extermination of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
The 1948 UN Convention, drafted in the aftermath of the Holocaust, defines genocide as acts committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” The document obliges signatory states to prevent and stop such crimes, which may include killing members of a group, inflicting serious harm, creating destructive living conditions, preventing births, or forcibly transferring children.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not issue an immediate response. Meanwhile, the country faces genocide charges at the UN’s International Court of Justice in The Hague. In addition, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. A warrant was also issued for Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, but it was later withdrawn following his death.