Amnesty International has published a new report in which it accuses Israel of "committing genocide" against Palestinian Arabs in Gaza since the war began last year.
The London-based organization stated that its findings were supported by "dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials," satellite images of destruction, field investigations, and firsthand accounts from Gaza.
"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," Amnesty's Secretary General Agnes Callamard said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.
"Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now," she added.
"There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has military objectives. But the existence of military objectives does not negate the possibility of a genocidal intent," Callamard charged, as she spoke during a press conference in The Hague. She noted that the findings align with the criteria outlined in the UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
Amnesty's 300-page report highlights what it claims were "direct deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures where there was no Hamas presence or any other military objectives," the use of wide-radius explosives in densely populated areas, the blockade of humanitarian aid, and the displacement of 90% of Gaza's 2.4 million residents.
Following the Hamas October 7 attack, the report claims that Israel imposed a "total siege" on Gaza, declaring, "No electricity, no water, no gas." While limited supplies have since been permitted, Amnesty claimed that Gazans continue to face "malnutrition, hunger, and diseases," amounting to what it described as a "slow, calculated death."
Amnesty also investigated 15 air strikes in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and April 20, 2024, which it said killed 334 civilians, including 141 children. The group claimed it found "no evidence that any of these strikes were directed at a military objective."
The report also documented numerous calls by Israeli officials and military personnel for the "annihilation, destruction, burning, or erasure" of Gaza, which Amnesty argues fosters "systemic impunity" and emboldens such actions.
Callamard warned in her remarks that "states that transfer arms to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide under the convention and are at risk of becoming complicit."
The IDF regularly takes steps to minimize harm to civilians when it attacks targets in Gaza. It is widely known that Hamas uses civilians as human shields, regularly placing its rockets, weapons storage facilities and headquarters in places such as schools, mosques, hospitals and residential buildings.
US intelligence confirmed that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations used Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip as a command base and to hold some of the hostages.
Amnesty International has a history of anti-Israel statements and reports, including a 2022 report in which the organization accused Israel of “Apartheid” against Palestinian Arabs.