ISTANBUL 

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the world’s leading body of experts on genocide studies, said Monday that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

In a resolution passed by its members, more than 86% of those voting supported the declaration.

“Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity as defined in international humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” the resolution stated.

The association said the findings draw on evidence including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, starvation, forced displacement, and the systematic destruction of essential services and cultural institutions.

It called on the Israeli government “to immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza, including deliberate attack against and killing of civilians including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other items essential to the survival of the population; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement of the population.”

It also urged compliance with provisional measures orders issued by the International Court of Justice and arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court, and called on all states to meet their obligations under international law.

The IAGS, established in 1994, stressed that silence in the face of such crimes amounts to complicity.

It called on all states “to actively pursue policies to ensure respect for their obligations under international law, including under the Genocide Convention, the Arms Trade Treaty and international humanitarian law, with regards to Israel and Palestine.”

The association urged all UN members, including Israel, to support “a process of repair and transitional justice that will afford democracy, freedom, dignity, and security for all people of Gaza.”

Israel has killed over 63,500 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.