Amnesty International has released a 295-page report accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel has fiercely denied. The report, published after extensive field research and interviews, claims Israeli military actions in Gaza have deliberately caused catastrophic harm to civilians, violating international law.
The study focuses on 15 incidents since October 2023, including airstrikes like the December 14 bombing that killed 31 Palestinians in Rafah. The attack wiped out three generations of the Nasman family, including a 3-month-old baby whose body was found under rubble days later. "My body survived but my spirit died with my children," said Ahmad Nasman, who lost his wife, children, parents, and sister in the strike.
Amnesty's findings conclude that Israel's actions meet the legal definition of genocide as outlined in the 1948 Genocide Convention. This includes "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group." Amnesty's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, stated, "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."
Israel's government has vehemently rejected the allegations. The Foreign Ministry called Amnesty a "deplorable and fanatical organization" and described the report as "entirely false and based on lies." Israel's military defended its operations, saying it is "actively working to dismantle Hamas' military infrastructure" and adheres to international law while taking steps to mitigate harm to civilians.
The accusations come as the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursues investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Arrest warrants were recently issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the ICC's actions as "outrageous," and Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has threatened sanctions against the court.
Amnesty's report is based on over 200 interviews with Palestinian survivors, healthcare workers, and local officials, as well as analysis of satellite imagery and digital evidence. Researchers allege patterns of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, denial of humanitarian aid, and systematic destruction of critical infrastructure.
Mohammed Salama, a director at the Emirates Red Crescent hospital in Rafah, described dire conditions in Gaza's healthcare system: "At times, we had to place five newborns and young children in one incubator... We had to ask mothers to cradle their babies on the floor." Amnesty researchers noted these and other actions as evidence of intent to harm a specific population.
In the past 15 months, the Gaza war has claimed over 44,000 lives, with most casualties being civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. On December 14, at least 23 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the al-Mawasi camp for displaced people. Survivors told reporters that the area had been considered a safe zone.
Amnesty's report has drawn fierce criticism from Israel's allies. Critics accuse the organization of anti-Semitism, echoing similar reactions to its 2022 report labeling Israel as an apartheid state. Yair Lapid, Israel's then-Foreign Minister, dismissed the genocide accusations as propaganda, saying Amnesty "echoes lies without seriously checking the facts."
Despite the backlash, Amnesty's findings have bolstered global calls for accountability. Samer Araabi, an advocate with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, argued that the report provides authoritative evidence for longstanding claims. "It's obvious to anyone who's been paying attention that it's genocide," he said.
As international scrutiny mounts, the report raises pressing questions about the role of the U.S., which provides significant military and political support to Israel. Araabi remarked, "I think one of the good things about this report is it's going to force us to do that and recognize the fact that we are, in fact, as taxpayers in this country, complicit in in a genocide " He added, "I think Israel and its apologists are in full on panic mode."
