Doha: Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a new report Tuesday. The Commission urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Commission stated in a press release on the United Nations News website Tuesday that it has been investigating the events on and since 7 October 2023 for the last two years. The Commission concluded that Israeli authorities and security forces committed four out of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. These acts include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.
Explicit statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities and the conduct of Israeli security forces indicate that the genocidal acts were committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group. In the same context, Chair of the Commission Navi Pillay remarked that the Commission finds Israel responsible for committing genocide in Gaza.
Pillay emphasized that the responsibility for these crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest levels, who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza. The Commission also noted Israel's failure to prevent and punish the commission of genocide, citing a lack of investigation into genocidal acts and prosecution of alleged perpetrators.
The Commission urged the Israeli government to immediately comply with its international legal obligations, including ending the genocide in the Gaza Strip and fully implementing the provisional measures orders of the International Court of Justice. It also called for an end to policies of starvation, lifting the siege, and ensuring unimpeded access of humanitarian aid and United Nations staff.
Furthermore, the Commission recommended that Member States cease the transfer of arms and equipment that may be used for genocidal acts to Israel. It also advised ensuring individuals and corporations are not involved in aiding the commission of genocide, and called for accountability through investigations and legal proceedings against those involved directly or indirectly.
The international community cannot remain silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, failing to act to stop it amounts to complicity, Pillay said. She added that every day of inaction costs lives and erodes the credibility of the international community. All States are under a legal obligation to use all available means to stop the genocide in Gaza.