A top human rights organization has declared that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza in a nearly 300-page review the country's campaign.
The report published by Amnesty International on Thursday claimed that Israel "unleashed hell" on the more than 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza between October 2023 and July 2024.
Restrictions to humanitarian aid Palestinians were able to receive, particularly those living in northern Gaza, displacement from their homes and "annihilation amid relentless bombardment" were cited as reasons the organization declared the country's actions as genocide, according to Amnesty International.
"Amnesty International's report demonstrates that Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. These acts include killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction," Agnès Callamard, Amnesty's secretary general, said in a statement.
"Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them," Callamard continued. "Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now."
The organization added that Israel's defense of its actions saying it was responding to the events of Oct. 7, 2023, "can never justify Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza."
While Israel has stated it is fighting Hamas and not the civilians in Gaza, Amnesty International cited indiscriminate attacks and even direct attacks on civilians. The organization stated that infrastructure was also targeted, including agricultural, religious and cultural sites.
Amnesty International additionally highlighted the healthcare crisis in Gaza, noting that diseases were spreading rapidly and many Palestinians faced malnutrition.
Israel has continually denied allegations of genocide. The International Criminal Court previously issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes, which Israeli officials referred to as "a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice."
"The deplorable and fanatical organization Amnesty International has once again produced a fabricated report that is entirely false and based on lies," Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement obtained by the Associated Press.
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