Israel’s Policies and Actions in Gaza ‘Meet Legal Definition of Genocide,’ Says Association of Scholars

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has passed a resolution stating that Israel’s “policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.”

Citing “Article II of the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” within its findings, the resolution argues that Israel's actions in response to the terrorist attack committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, have not only been directed against Hamas “but have also targeted the entire Gazan population.”

“The government of Israel has engaged in systematic and widespread crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians and civilian infrastructure,” the association said in the resolution passed on Aug. 31.

A spokesperson for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the resolution, calling it an “embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard.”

“It is entirely based on Hamas’ campaign of lies and the laundering of those lies by others,” claimed Oren Marmorstein.

Explaining its conclusion, the IAGS argued that Israel has “forcibly displaced nearly all of the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip multiple times” and cited estimations that more than 90% of the housing infrastructure in the territory has been destroyed.

Onur Uraz, chair of the IAGS Resolutions Committee, confirmed to TIME on Monday that 86% of the association’s members voted in favor of the resolution. “The process of this resolution has been one of the smoothest ones in light of numerous U.N. and NGO reports that support the conclusion," he said.

“This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide,” president of IAGS Melanie O'Brien is quoted as telling Reuters.

Article II of the 1948 U.N. Convention defines genocide “as a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part.” It does not include political groups or what is known as “cultural genocide.”

Read More: What to Know About South Africa’s Genocide Case Against Israel

The Palestinian Government Media Office said that it welcomed the IAGS’ resolution in a statement viewed by TIME.

Israel has previously strongly denied that its actions in Gaza constitute genocide, citing its right to defend itself.

A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called allegations of genocide “ridiculous” and a “blatant falsehood” during an address on Aug. 13.

Israel has faced accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the case was first submitted by South Africa in December 2023. Furthermore, the International Criminal Court (ICC) previously issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

TIME has reached out to Netanyahu’s office for comment.

The IAGS resolution comes as Israel escalates its military expansion in Gaza City, a plan that has garnered much criticism from global leaders and humanitarian organizations. Germany moved to suspend its Gaza-associated arms sales to Israel upon the announcement of the expansion.

Read More: World Leaders React as U.N.-Backed Report Confirms Famine in Gaza

Furthermore, there are mounting concerns over the malnutrition crisis in Gaza, particularly after a U.N.-backed food security body confirmed that famine is taking place in Gaza City for the first time since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

The Israel-Hamas war started after Hamas launched a terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, 348 of those deaths were the result of “starvation and malnutrition,” according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

In the absence of independent monitoring on the ground, the ministry is the primary source for casualty data relied upon by humanitarian groups, journalists, and international bodies. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants and cannot be independently verified by TIME. Data from the IDF suggests a Palestinian civilian death rate of 83%.