Leading genocide scholars formally declare that Israel’s war on Gaza meets the UN’s definition of genocide.
The world’s top genocide scholars have formally declared that Israel’s war on Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide, marking a landmark intervention from leading experts in the field of international law.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a 500-member body of academics founded in 1994, passed a resolution on Monday, stating that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfil the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
“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,” said Melanie O’Brien, IAGS president and professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, speaking to the Reuters news agency on Monday.
The resolution won overwhelming support, with 86 percent of members voting in favour. It called on Israel to halt “deliberate attacks on civilians, including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other essentials; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement”.
Sergey Vasiliev, professor of international law at the Open University of the Netherlands, told Reuters the declaration reflected a consensus that has taken root in academia. “This legal assessment has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies,” he said.
Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said the “prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts”. He added that the resolution “places a legal and moral obligation on the international community to take urgent action to stop the crime, protect civilians, and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable”.
Israel’s growing legal woes
The resolution came as Israel faces a separate case at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, where it is already accused of genocide.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, nearly all residents have been displaced at least once, and most of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
A UN-backed global hunger monitor has confirmed the famine in parts of Gaza, a direct result of Israel’s blockade and bombing campaign that has deliberately restricted food, water, and medicine.
IAGS has previously recognised genocides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Armenia, and Myanmar. The UN convention it cites defines genocide as crimes committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”.
The resolution also said Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 constituted international crimes but emphasised that these acts do not justify genocide.
Hundreds of UN human rights staff last week urged High Commissioner Volker Turk to explicitly label Israel’s campaign as genocide, underscoring growing international consensus.
