The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has declared that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.
The resolution, passed by a majority of the association’s voting members, also found Israel to be committing crimes against humanity in the territory.
Of the IAGS’s 500 members, 28 per cent took part in the ballot. Eighty-six per cent of those who voted supported the resolution.
The resolution stated that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfilled Article II of the Genocide Convention.
It cited deliberate killings, starvation, deprivation of humanitarian aid, forced displacement, and sexual and reproductive violence as evidence.
The IAGS called for an immediate end to actions it described as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Obligations of states under the Genocide Convention
The resolution further urged states that are party to the Genocide Convention, including Australia, to prevent arms transfers to Israel and to uphold their legal responsibilities.
The association also pressed Israel to comply with provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), including the obligation to provide adequate food, water, medicine, and shelter to Gaza’s population.
Israel has strongly denied accusations of genocide and labelled the IAGS findings “an embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard”.
Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the resolution relied on “Hamas’s campaign of lies” and misrepresented the ICJ’s statements.
It argued the IAGS had failed to conduct basic verification of claims.
The ministry accused the scholars of creating a “historic precedent” by accusing the “victim of genocide” while ignoring Hamas’s killing of 1,200 people during the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Melanie O’Brien, president of the IAGS and professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, dismissed Israel’s invocation of self-defence.
“There is no justification for the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, not even self-defence,” she said.
She added that international law requires proportionality and military necessity in claims of self-defence, neither of which she argued were evident in Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
The IAGS resolution asserted that Israel’s actions indicated an intent to destroy Palestinians in whole or in part.
It listed arbitrary detention, torture, deprivation of essential supplies, and attacks on medical workers, journalists, and humanitarian staff.
The destruction of schools, libraries, and cultural sites, it said, suggested an effort to erase Palestinian identity and eliminate future generations.
Acknowledgement of Hamas’s crimes
The resolution did note that Hamas and other Palestinian groups committed serious breaches of international law during the 7 October attacks.
It stated that recognising Israel’s alleged genocide did not excuse or justify the crimes committed by Palestinian militants.
The IAGS resolution adds to a growing number of statements by international and Israeli human rights organisations declaring Israel’s actions to amount to genocide.
Israel, however, maintains its military operations in Gaza are acts of self-defence targeted at Hamas.
Hamas reaction
Hamas welcomed the resolution, calling it “a new legal documentation” that strengthens international recognition of what it described as an ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
The group said the resolution added to mounting reports and testimonies documenting atrocities committed in Gaza.
Israeli officials have previously characterised genocide allegations as politically motivated.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said in April 2025 that accusations were “weaponising” international legal institutions to undermine Israel’s right to self-defence.
Israel has described South Africa’s case at the ICJ as “wholly unfounded in fact and law” and “morally repugnant”.
Rising death toll in Gaza
The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 63,557 Palestinians have been killed and 160,660 injured since the conflict escalated in October 2023.
Three children reportedly died from starvation in late August 2025, underscoring the scale of deprivation.
Air strikes and artillery fire have intensified in Gaza City, which Israel declared a combat zone last week.
A military ground operation is anticipated, prompting international condemnation and protests within Israel.
On the city’s outskirts and in the Jabaliya refugee camp, witnesses reported Israeli forces using explosive-laden robots to demolish buildings.
Global recognition of Palestinian statehood
The crisis coincides with renewed moves to recognise Palestinian statehood.
France, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada are preparing to voice support at the United Nations summit in New York on 22 September.
Belgium announced on 2 September that it will formally recognise Palestine at the General Assembly.
Over 140 of 193 UN member states already extend recognition.
Singapore’s Minister Shanmugam cautions against immediate recognition of Palestine, citing potential harm to Palestinians
Singapore, alongside Japan, South Korea, and the United States, has not recognised Palestine.
Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam on 2 Sept has cautioned that immediate recognition of Palestine may harm, rather than help, the Palestinian cause.
He argued that recognition without a viable government, stable population, and functioning institutions would not change “facts on the ground.”
Shanmugam stressed that strengthening the Palestinian Authority is crucial before recognition can be considered meaningful.
Singapore acceded to the Genocide Convention with reservations about the ICJ’s jurisdiction, requiring its consent for disputes.
The post Genocide scholars declare Israel’s actions in Gaza meet UN legal definition of genocide appeared first on The Online Citizen.
