Authoritative Determinations of Rights Violations in Gaza

"At least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa to have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the Convention" (para. 30). The Court held that "at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa... are plausible" — among them the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide (para. 54) — and that "there is a real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice will be caused to the rights found by the Court to be plausible" (para. 74). It ordered Israel to prevent genocidal acts, ensure its military ceases them, prevent and punish incitement to genocide, enable humanitarian assistance, and preserve evidence.

In March the Court ordered Israel to ensure, without delay, the unhindered provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food. In May it ordered Israel to halt immediately its military offensive in Rafah and to keep the Rafah crossing open for humanitarian assistance.

"The State of Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful... Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible."

The Court held that Israel, as occupying power, must ensure the population of Gaza has essential supplies, and must agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations, including UNRWA. It found Israel had not substantiated its allegations against UNRWA staff.

The Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, finding reasonable grounds to believe that each bears criminal responsibility for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts", and, as civilian superiors, for "the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population." The Prosecutor had applied for the warrants on 20 May 2024. As of October 2026, the warrants remain in force.

The Commission concluded that "the State of Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza" (para. 240), and that Israel has also failed to prevent and to punish genocide (para. 243).

Found that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating Israel's commission of genocide is met." "The overwhelming nature and scale of Israel's assault on Gaza and the destructive conditions of life it has inflicted reveal an intent to physically destroy Palestinians as a group" (para. 93).

The experts declared, ahead of any formal famine classification: "We declare that Israel's intentional and targeted starvation campaign against the Palestinian people is a form of genocidal violence and has resulted in famine across all of Gaza."

Found Israel's warfare methods in Gaza "consistent with genocide".

"Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It's a living hell for everyone else."

"No place is safe in Gaza anymore, not even UNRWA facilities" (Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, 17 October 2023). By September 2026, UNRWA's Situation Report #235 recorded 394 UNRWA colleagues killed and 1,022 incidents affecting its premises. UN premises are inviolable under the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations (Art. II, s. 3).

Found violations that "in many instances could amount to war crimes" and "may constitute crimes against humanity", and that "if committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, they may also constitute genocide." Close to 70% of the dead it verified were women and children.

Concluded that "Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip", finding that "Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza."

"Amnesty International has documented unlawful Israeli attacks, including indiscriminate attacks, which caused mass civilian casualties and must be investigated as war crimes."

Concluded that Israel maintains a system of oppression and domination over Palestinians that amounts to the crime against humanity of apartheid.

Israeli authorities have deprived Palestinians in Gaza of adequate access to water, "most likely resulting in thousands of deaths and thus committing the crime against humanity of extermination and acts of genocide."

"The Israeli government is using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare in the occupied Gaza Strip, which is a war crime."

Verified the use of white phosphorus over Gaza City's port, finding that its use in Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, "magnifies the risk to civilians and violates the international humanitarian law prohibition on putting civilians at unnecessary risk."

B'Tselem, one of Israel's leading human rights organisations, reached "the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip."

"FIDH recognises that Israel's actions against the Palestinian people constitute an unfolding genocide. States and individuals who provide assistance to Israel are hereby rendering themselves complicit."

On 30 September 2025 RSF filed "its fifth complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court (ICC) since October 2023, providing new evidence of war crimes that the Israeli military persists in committing against Palestinian journalists."

CPJ states: "Israel has now killed more journalists and media workers than any other government since CPJ began collecting data in 1992." As of 24 September 2026, CPJ counted at least 247 journalists and media workers killed across Gaza and the related regional conflicts.

"Famine (IPC Phase 5)—with reasonable evidence—is confirmed in Gaza Governorate."

The ICRC, which generally works through confidential dialogue, warned on 12 October 2023 that "Without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues" (Fabrizio Carboni, Regional Director). In July 2025 its President, Mirjana Spoljaric, stated: "The level of suffering inflicted on civilians because of warfare conducted indiscriminately and the extreme deprivation of the essentials for survival is abhorrent."

"Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is clear: Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and doing so with absolute impunity."

"Israel using water as weapon of war as Gaza supply plummets by 94%, creating deadly health catastrophe." Oxfam found water available in Gaza had fallen to 4.74 litres a day per person.

"The number of children reported killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world's conflict zones since 2019."

The Association resolved that "Israel's policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide in Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)."

"Let us be clear: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza."

Published "Genocide in Gaza," a legal analysis by the University Network for Human Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law, the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell Law School, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, and the Lowenstein Human Rights Project at Yale Law School. Key finding: "Israel has committed genocidal acts of killing, causing serious harm to, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza, a protected group that forms a substantial part of the Palestinian people."

"As scholars and practitioners of international law, conflict studies and genocide studies, we are compelled to sound the alarm about the possibility of the crime of genocide being perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." The statement, signed by 882 scholars and practitioners, highlights the intent evident in public statements by Israeli officials.

Israel's assault on Gaza is "a textbook case of genocide unfolding in front of our eyes." Segal's analysis focuses on the explicit intent articulated by Israeli leaders, distinguishing it from genocides where intent is typically concealed.