Mon Jul 28 14:32:01 UTC 2025: **Headline: Israeli Rights Groups Accuse Country of Genocide in Gaza**
**Jerusalem – July 28, 2025** – In a move that shatters a long-held taboo, two prominent Israeli human rights organizations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The accusations, made public in a joint press conference on Monday, mark the first time Jewish-led groups within Israel have leveled such charges against their own nation amidst the ongoing 22-month war.
The groups released separate reports detailing their findings. B’Tselem highlighted what it describes as a shift in Israeli policy from “repression and control to destruction and annihilation” following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. PHRI presented a “legal-medical analysis” focusing on the systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system and essential resources, arguing that Israel has deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Palestinian population.
While these groups have been critical of Israeli policies in the past, the accusation of genocide is unprecedented. The groups acknowledge the deep sensitivities surrounding the term in Israel, a nation founded in the wake of the Holocaust, but argue that the severity of the situation demands acknowledgement.
“Perhaps human rights groups based in Israel, and coming to this conclusion, is a way to confront that accusation and get people to acknowledge the reality,” stated Guy Shalev, director of PHRI.
The Israeli government has yet to officially respond to the reports. However, it has consistently rejected accusations of genocide as antisemitic, maintaining its actions in Gaza are a justified response to Hamas’s attacks and within the bounds of international law. Israel is currently challenging genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice.
The accusations come as the International Criminal Court seeks arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes allegations.
The rights groups call on the international community and silent Israelis to speak out, emphasizing the obligation to stand by the victims and acknowledge the truth.
The article was originally published in The Hindu.
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