Israel is committing genocide in Gaza: scholars' group

There was no immediate response from the Israeli foreign ministry. Israel has in the past strongly denied its actions in Gaza amount to genocide, and is fighting a case at the International Court of Justice in the Hague that accuses it of genocide.

Israel launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, after fighters from Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in control of the territory, attacked Israeli communities, killing 1200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages.

Since then, Israel's military action has killed 63,000 people, according to local health authorities, damaged or destroyed most buildings in the territory and forced nearly all its residents to flee their homes at least once.

Since its founding in 1994, the genocide scholars' association has passed nine resolutions recognising historic or ongoing episodes as genocides.