The statement followed a resolution by the world’s top genocide scholars declaring Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
Israel condemned as „disgraceful“ a formal declaration by the world’s top genocide scholars accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza, rejecting the charge as an „embarrassment to the legal profession“ and grounded in misinformation spread by Hamas.
The statement came in response to a resolution passed this week by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), which said Israel’s conduct in Gaza over the past 22 months meets the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 United Nations Convention.
Eighty-six percent of voting members supported the resolution.Why It Matters
Since Hamas‘ October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 taken hostage, more than 63,000 Palestinians have been killed. Nearly all Gaza residents have been displaced at least once, most buildings are damaged or destroyed, and a U.N.-backed body has declared the enclave in famine—an assessment Israel rejects.What To Know
In a statement posted to X, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the resolution passed by the IAGS was „entirely based on Hamas’s campaign of lies and the laundering of those lies by others“, and accused the academic body of failing to verify basic facts.
„Above all, the IAGS has set a historic precedent—for the first time, ‚Genocide Scholars‘ accuse the very victim of genocide“, the ministry said, citing the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that left 1,200 Israelis dead.
