Gaza: the main global association of genocide experts accuses Israel of committing a genocide

Global reference in the study of genocides, the International Association of Genocide Specialists (IAGS) affirms in a resolution adopted on August 31 that Israel commits a genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The researchers write that since October 7, 2023, more than 59,000 Palestinians have been killed, including tens of thousands of children, and 143,000 injured, according to the UN figures cited. They point out that 90 % of Gaza dwellings were destroyed and that the population has undergone repeated forced trips. The resolution also highlights attacks on hospitals, schools, journalists and humanitarian workers, deprivation of food, water and medical care, as well as explicit statements by Israeli leaders expressing an “intention to destroy” the Palestinians of Gaza.

The specialists recall that the International Court of Justice estimated three times in 2024 that it was “plausible” that Israel made a genocide and ordered the lifting of the hindrances to humanitarian aid. They also underline that the International Criminal Court issued in November 2024 arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the former Minister of the Yoav Defense Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

IAGS underlines that the destruction of schools, universities, museums and libraries threatens the very existence of the Palestinian identity and that the massive targeting of children corresponds to the criteria of the genocide defined by the 1948 Convention. The association calls Israel to “immediately cease” these crimes and exhort the States to act to make their international obligations respect, in particular under the Convention on Genocide and Rome.

For researchers, this resolution constitutes a major turning point: it seals the scientific observation that the crimes committed in Gaza meet the criteria of the genocide, a now “undeniable” reality that no one can ignore or challenge.