Gaza: IAGS Accuses Israel of Genocide

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has adopted a resolution stating that the legal criteria are met to substantiate that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution was supported by 86% of the 500 members of the IAGS and states that "Israel's policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide under Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)."

Israel has not yet reacted, categorically denying that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, stating that they are justified as it is in self-defense. South Africa has appealed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Hamas welcomed the IAGS resolution. The 1948 UN Genocide Convention defines genocide as crimes committed "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such."

IAGS President Melanie O'Brien said it was "a clear statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is happening on the ground in Gaza constitutes genocide."