The world’s leading association of genocide experts has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, marking one of the starkest scholarly rebukes of its nearly two-year war.
In a resolution adopted by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the group concluded that Israel’s actions meet the definition of genocide under the 1948 United Nations convention. The three-page statement cites a pattern of conduct — from widespread destruction of homes to attacks on hospitals, schools, and aid networks — that it says amount to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
The IAGS, a professional body of more than 500 members including prominent Holocaust scholars, said 28 percent of its members participated in the vote. Of those, 86 percent endorsed the resolution.
Among the evidence presented, the association pointed to figures from UNICEF estimating that 50,000 children in Gaza have been killed or injured, jeopardizing what it called the group’s survival and future. It also cited public remarks by Israeli officials who have characterized all Gazans as enemies, vowed to “flatten Gaza,” and encouraged mass expulsions.
Israel has sharply rejected the accusations. Its Foreign Ministry dismissed the resolution as “based on Hamas lies” and an “embarrassment to the legal profession.” Israeli officials argue that the country is the victim of genocide, pointing to the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault that killed about 1,200 people and led to more than 250 hostages being taken.
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While acknowledging that the Hamas attack itself constituted a crime, the IAGS said Israel’s response has gone far beyond targeting the militant group, instead devastating Gaza’s civilian population.
The legal definition of genocide, adopted after the Holocaust, is the attempt to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Human rights groups — including two Israeli organizations — have also argued that Israel’s campaign in Gaza meets that threshold.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is weighing a genocide case brought by South Africa in 2023. Israel, which has called the case a “blood libel,” has until January 2026 to submit its full defense.