Critics in Israeli Non-Governmental Organizations describe actions in the Gaza Strip as an act of mass murder or extermination. - Palestinian activist groups denounce Israeli actions in Gaza as a form of "genocide"
In a shocking development, two prominent Israeli human rights organizations, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, have publicly accused the Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This accusation, presented in a joint report released in July 2025, alleges that Israel's military actions are part of a coordinated, deliberate effort to destroy Palestinian society in Gaza[1][2][3].
The report cites a shift in Israel's policy post-October 2023, from repression and control towards destruction and annihilation, as well as statements from senior Israeli politicians and military commanders that support this conclusion. B'Tselem's international outreach director explained that the systematic and organized nature of these actions, along with their catastrophic consequences, underline the genocidal intent of the Israeli regime in Gaza[1][2].
In response, the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have consistently denied the charge of genocide. They assert that their military actions are aimed at Hamas militants and that they take extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties. The IDF also accuses Hamas of deliberately using Gaza’s civilian population as human shields by embedding forces in homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques[1].
This marks a significant step because these are the first major Israeli human rights organizations to make this genocide accusation, joining an increasing number of international groups with similar claims[1][2]. The leaders of B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel have expressed deep pain over the accusations they have made.
The Israeli government has sent 1.9 million tons of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, but this has not stopped the criticism. B'Tselem, a well-known Israeli human rights organization, accuses the Israeli government of consciously and systematically destroying the Gaza Strip's healthcare system[4]. Meanwhile, Physicians for Human Rights Israel speaks of a severe famine in the region as a result of Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip[5].
The current situation in the Gaza Strip has led to a large-scale military operation by Israel in response to the Hamas attack. Over 250 people were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attack, and more than 1,210 people were killed in Hamas's attack on villages, cities, and a music festival[6]. According to Hamas authorities, more than 59,800 people have been killed so far in the Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip[7].
Israel claims it is fighting the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, both B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel maintain that the Israeli government's actions go beyond fighting a terrorist organization and are, in fact, a deliberate attempt to destroy the Palestinian society in Gaza.
References:
- B'Tselem
- Physicians for Human Rights Israel
- The Guardian
- Haaretz
- Al Jazeera
- The New York Times
- CNN
- NGOs such as B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, operating in the Gaza Strip, have condemned the Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, for allegedly committing genocide against Palestinians, a claim that has been supported by other international human rights organizations in the context of war-and-conflicts and general news.
- In the midst of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, politics surrounding the Israeli government's actions have been exacerbated as both B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel accuse Israel of intentionally destroying the Gaza Strip's healthcare system and contributing to a severe famine, adding fuel to the fire in the domain of human rights and international witness.
