Hundreds of United Nations human rights officials have called for Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza to be formally recognized as genocide. In an open letter sent on Wednesday, over 500 UN staff members signed the appeal, stating that the situation in Gaza already meets the legal definition of genocide.
The letter warns that failure to condemn Israel’s attacks would severely damage the UN’s moral and legal credibility. Officials referenced the 1994 Rwandan genocide, noting that the UN’s inaction at that time represented a grave moral failure.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, clarified that only international legal authorities have the mandate to declare genocide, not the Secretary-General. Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry called the allegations “baseless” and declined to comment, reiterating that its operations are acts of self-defense, not genocide.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, approximately 63,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations so far. International organizations report famine-like conditions in some areas of the enclave. Independent UN experts, Amnesty International, and other human rights groups have already described the situation in Gaza as genocide. In 2023, South Africa also filed a similar allegation against Israel at the International Court of Justice, though hearings have yet to begin.
Following the letter, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk acknowledged the moral outrage expressed by his colleagues, stating that the devastating situation in Gaza has shocked the world and that the international community’s failure to act is deeply disappointing.
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters.