The human rights organization Amnesty International published a report on Thursday accusing Israel of “committing genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, calling on the international community not to be “complicit” in it. .
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“ Month after month,Israel treated Palestinians in Gaza as a group of subhumans, unworthy of respect for human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intention to physically destroy them “, declared the organization’s general secretary, Agnès Callamard.
These are 300 pages, very documented. The fruit of 10 months of field investigation, Gaza and analysis of the speeches of Israeli officials. The result is clear according to the authors: Israel is committing genocide on the Palestinians. The NGO explains that it is based on criteria defined by the United Nations Convention on Genocide.
“ What we are saying today is that the crime of genocide is no longer a plausible risk, but an ongoing reality.affirms to RFI Tchérina Jerolon, head of the conflict, migration, justice program at Amnesty International. Our evidence demonstrates that the Israeli authorities committed three of the five acts prohibited by the Genocide Convention: murder, serious harm to physical or mental integrity and the establishment of conditions of existence which are intended to lead to slow and calculated death of the populations of Gaza. »
In the report, Amnesty International points to “ Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure […]the use of highly explosive weapons in densely populated areas », the obstacles to delivering humanitarian aid in the territory and the forced displacement of 90% of its population.
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Since the start of the war launched in retaliation by Israel, 44,532 people have died in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to data from the Hamas Ministry of Health for Gaza, deemed reliable by the UN. Israel decreed in October 2023 a “ complete seat » of the territory, which has nearly 2.4 million inhabitants, with the following slogan: “ No electricity, no water, no gas “, and now imposes severe restrictions on the delivery of aid. The Palestinians are subjected to “ malnutrition, starvation and disease », according to the NGO
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Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of “ genocide » formulated against him, accusing Hamas of using civilians as “ human shields “. Since the Hamas attack, Israel has highlighted its right to defend itself against the Palestinian Islamist movement, which it has sworn to eradicate. “ But let’s be clear : military objectives can coincide with genocidal intent “, said Agnès Callamard during a press conference in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Amnesty report cites the example of 15 airstrikes carried out between October 7, 2023 and April 20, 2024, which killed 334 civilians including 141 children, and for which the organization “ found no evidence that they were directed at military targets “. The document also mentions calls from Israeli officials and soldiers to “ annihilation, destruction, fire or “erasure” from Gaza “. Words which underline “ not only systemic impunity, but also the creation of an environment that encourages […] such behavior “.
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“ We need concrete measures to stop the genocide »
According to the report, no recent war has killed so many children in such a short time. It is now impossible for the international community to turn a blind eye, believes Tcherina Jerolon: “ All signals are red. We need concrete measures to stop the genocide that is underway. Among these measures is the need to have a total embargo on arms flowing to Israel. »
“ Governments must stop pretending they have no power to end occupation, apartheid and genocide in Gaza », affirmed Agnès Callamard. “ States that send weapons to Israel violate their obligations to prevent genocide, and risk becoming complicit in it “, she accused.
Amnesty International also calls for Benyamin Netanyahu to be handed over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as quickly as possible. The NGO also announced that it would publish a report on the crimes committed by Hamas during the attack of October 7, 2023.
Of the 251 people kidnapped in Israeli territory, 97 are still captive in Gaza, 35 of whom were declared dead by the Israeli army.
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