On July 28, 2025, Israeli NGOs B’tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) reported findings suggesting that the Israeli government and military are committing acts of genocide in Gaza. The B’tselem report highlights a shift in policy following Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, claiming that the government is inflicting significant harm through both direct assaults and dire living conditions, leading to widespread fatalities.
The investigation details extensive physical and mental harm to the Gaza population, large-scale infrastructure destruction, and the systematic dismantling of social institutions, including educational and cultural sites. It also describes severe abuses in Israeli prisons, labeling them as torture camps for thousands of Palestinians held without trial and forced evacuations that aim to erase Palestinian identity.
Citing the 1948 UN definition of genocide, the NGOs assert that moral and legal justifications for genocide cannot exist, even under the pretext of self-defense. They call for action from Israeli civil society and the international community to halt what they describe as massacres against Palestinians.
PHRI’s report similarly classifies Israel’s military actions in Gaza as genocide, pointing to the deliberate targeting of healthcare systems, obstruction of medical aid, and acts of medical killing. Israel, however, has rejected these accusations, maintaining that its military operations aim to eliminate Hamas.
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