You Feel Like You Are Subhuman: Israel's Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza

Report by Amnesty International | December 2024

This 300 pages report by Amnesty International outlines extensive findings about the actions of Israeli authorities in Gaza from October 2023 to mid-2024, contextualized within decades of occupation and apartheid policies. It concludes that these actions meet the criteria for genocide under international law. Key findings include:

1. Military Offensive and Destruction:

• Israel launched a massive military campaign in Gaza following Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023, causing extensive destruction of infrastructure, homes, and cultural sites.
• Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including thousands of children, were killed or injured in indiscriminate or direct attacks.
• 90% of Gaza’s population was forcibly displaced, often multiple times, under inhumane conditions.

2. Infliction of Conditions Leading to Destruction:

• Israel obstructed humanitarian aid and life-saving supplies, causing widespread malnutrition, disease, and suffering.
• Damage to critical infrastructure, including hospitals, water, and sanitation systems, led to catastrophic living conditions.

3. Intent to Destroy

• The Genocide Convention requires a specific intent ("dolus specialis") to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. This intent distinguishes genocide from other crimes under international law.
• "Intent to destroy" does not require the actual success in destroying the group; the intent is the critical factor.
• Evidence of Intent:
  • The report cites systematic and widespread actions targeting Palestinians in Gaza, including:
    • Mass killings and severe injuries through indiscriminate and direct attacks.
    • Destruction of essential infrastructure leading to unlivable conditions.
    • Forced displacement of nearly 90% of Gaza's population.
  • Statements by Israeli officials demonstrate dehumanization and genocidal intent, equating Palestinians as a whole with Hamas and referring to their destruction as a necessity.
• Patterns of Conduct:
  • The systematic destruction of Gaza's population and infrastructure is identified as deliberate and calculated, not incidental to military objectives.
  • The prolonged and repeated infliction of suffering and displacement is seen as evidence of intent to weaken and ultimately destroy the group.
• State Responsibility:
  • The report emphasizes state responsibility for genocide based on the consistent and intentional policies carried out over time, aligning with the legal standards for establishing genocidal intent.

Source:

Israel/Occupied Palestinian Territory: ‘You Feel Like You Are Subhuman’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza - Amnesty International

This report documents Israel’s actions during its offensive on the occupied Gaza Strip from 7 October 2023. It examines the killing of civilians, damage to and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcible displacement, the obstruction or denial of life-saving goods and humanitarian aid, and the restriction of power supplies. It analyses Israel’s intent through this pattern […]

Amnesty International