https://arab.news/c6mvd
Eventually, it will be the International Court of Justice that decides whether the mass killings perpetrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip amount to genocide, but this decision will probably take years to establish. In the meantime, an increasing number of international organizations, as well as Israeli ones, are warning that Israel is committing genocide — and this should not be taken lightly by Israelis.
The most recent heavyweight report that suggests a genocide is indeed taking place in Gaza was published in September by the UN independent International Commission of Inquiry. In a highly detailed account, it stated there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023.
From the very first days of the war in Gaza, it was my view that, since Israel had embarked not only on a war against Hamas but one of revenge against the Gazan people, it was more important to concentrate on reaching a permanent ceasefire as quickly as possible. Then, in the immediate aftermath, the exact legal definition of what took place could be addressed. This is not only because it was important in itself but also because an early ceasefire could have saved many lives, as well as all the other forms of suffering inflicted by this war.
