What does it mean if even Israeli NGOs accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza?
For the first time, accusations of genocide are being leveled against Israel from within : two Israeli NGOs, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights , have accused their country of committing genocide . This is a sign that the dire situation in the Gaza Strip , where at least 54,000 people have died, including over 15,000 children, is also changing opinion within the country. The two organizations have each published a report, reaching the same conclusion.
The document published by B'Tselem, starkly titled " Our Genocide " and based on months of research and interviews, argues that the Israeli state is committing genocide through the indiscriminate elimination of tens of thousands of Palestinians , the destruction of extensive urban areas, the forced evacuation of almost the entire civilian population, and the restriction of basic necessities, including food and water. The report focuses not only on Gaza, but also on the situation in the West Bank.
The NGO cites numerous statements by Israeli political and military leaders as evidence of genocidal intent: former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant , in October 2023, after Hamas's attack on Israel, called Palestinians—all of them, including civilians—"human animals." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the same time, described the conflict in the Strip as a war "against Amalek," a reference to a passage in the Old Testament in which Israel, on God's orders, eliminates the entire Amalekite people. "We never imagined we would have to write the report we published today," Yuli Novak, the group's director, said at a press conference, "but in recent months, we have witnessed a reality that has left us no choice but to acknowledge the truth ." The organization concludes the report with a call for unity to demand that Israel stop the genocide.
The health professionals' organization extensively documents Israel 's deliberate and systematic destruction of the Gaza Strip's healthcare system . Examining violations against the healthcare system and healthcare workers (i.e., the destruction of hospitals, clinics, and health institutions) and the blockade of medical supplies, the report explains how the damage and destruction in the Gaza Strip are not so much a byproduct of the war, but rather part of a " deliberate policy targeting Palestinians as a group ." "The evidence shows deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza's healthcare system through targeted attacks on hospitals, obstruction of the entry of medical supplies and the exit of people with health problems, and the killing and detention of medical personnel," the report states.
These are certainly not the first accusations of genocide leveled against the Israeli state, but the fact that they come for the first time from within its borders is particularly significant. Guy Shalev , director of Physicians for Human Rights, said it was significant that this was the first time Israeli organizations were accusing Israel of genocide. Over the past two years, other international NGOs—such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch —had made the same accusations, but the Israeli government and much of the country's public had dismissed them as an expression of anti-Semitism or anti-Israeli hostility . This is an impossible defense when the accusations come from Israel itself.
The term "genocide" was coined in 1944 by Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin and legally defined in 1948 by the United Nations Convention , which established genocide as an international crime . According to Article II of the Convention, genocide includes acts such as killing members of a group, causing serious physical or mental harm, and inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy the group in part or totally .
The defining characteristic of genocide is the specific intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The Convention has been ratified by 153 states and is binding on all, but its practical application depends on two international courts: the International Court of Justice, which decides disputes between states, and the International Criminal Court, which tries individuals for crimes such as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Despite the clear legal definition, the practice of recognizing genocide is complex . International courts, such as the International Criminal Court and the Hague International Criminal Court, have limited jurisdiction, and the enforcement of their decisions depends on the cooperation of states, which often ignore their decisions. Genocide cases are rarely fully recognized internationally: among the most notorious are the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, the Cambodian genocide, and the Bosnian genocide. The Armenian genocide, although historically documented, is not legally recognized by the international community in its entirety, with Turkey continuing to deny it.
While international voices accusing the Israeli state of genocide had been growing for over a year, in recent months more and more Israeli organizations have begun to recognize and condemn Israel's brutality in the Gaza Strip. In May, the peace organization Standing Together organized its first anti-war demonstration, its primary motivation being the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
A few weeks ago, however, the case of the " refusniks," young Israelis who refuse compulsory military service, staged a high-profile protest in Tel Aviv, publicly burning their draft orders. And even during the Jerusalem Pride parade, signs reading " No Pride in Genocide " were seen—which apparently prompted police intervention. But some politicians also spoke out, such as former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who openly said that Israel is "committing war crimes" and that the war in Gaza is "a war of extermination."
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