In a landmark move for Israeli rights groups and NGOs, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights declared Monday that the war in Gaza constitutes genocide against Palestinians.
Both organizations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued Monday was their most stark yet.
"Nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us," B'Tselem executive director, Yuli Novak, told a news conference unveiling the two reports.
"As Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible," she said.
"Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians."
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza for the past 21 months was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas incursion.
Israel has left much of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million Palestinians, in ruins, and according to the territory's Health Ministry, has killed at least 59,821 people, most of them civilians.
All Gazans have been driven from their homes at least once since the start of the war, and UN agencies warn that residents face a growing threat of famine and malnutrition.
The International Court of Justice, in an interim ruling in early 2024 in a case lodged by South Africa, found it "plausible" that the Israeli offensive had violated the UN Genocide Convention.
The Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.
The reports from B'Tselem – one of Israel's best-known rights groups – and Physicians for Human Rights Israel argue that the war's objectives go further.
B'Tselem's report cites statements from senior politicians to illustrate that Israel "is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip."
Physicians for Human Rights Israel's report documents what the group says is "the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza's health care system."
Also on Monday, the heads of five major Israeli universities appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the starvation in Gaza, warning of catastrophic consequences for civilians, including infants.
In a letter reported by the daily Israel Hayom, the signatories-Weizmann Institute President Alon Chen, Hebrew University President Asher Cohen, Technion President Uri Sivan, Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat and Open University President Leo Corry-said they were "shocked" by the humanitarian toll in the Palestinian enclave.
"Like many Israelis, we are horrified by the scenes from Gaza, including infants dying every day from hunger and disease," the letter reads.
The university presidents pressed Netanyahu to address "the severe hunger overwhelming Gaza, which is taking a heavy toll on civilians uninvolved in the conflict, including children and infants."
They also voiced alarm over incendiary remarks by Israeli ministers and Knesset members calling for Gaza's destruction.
"As a people who endured the horrors of the Holocaust, we also bear a responsibility to use every means at our disposal to prevent cruel and indiscriminate harm to innocent men, women and children," they wrote.
The letter also criticized statements by Israeli officials suggesting the use of nuclear weapons, the complete denial of food, and the expulsion of Palestinians.
"We expect you and the government to unequivocally condemn these dangerous remarks," they said, adding that such calls amount to "war crimes and crimes against humanity" under international law.
The university heads further warned against reported Israeli plans to build a so‑called "humanitarian city" in Rafah, likening it to World War II concentration camps. They said such a move would cause "irreparable damage" to Israel's moral standing.
