On September 16th, the United Nations (UN) published a report that leaves little room for ambiguity: that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. This report, like many previous reports from civil society confirms that Israel’s offensive in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide.
As of September 17th, 2025, 65,062 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and as of September 17th 2025, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has reported that approximately 730,000 people have been displaced, which includes 520,000 children.
The 72 page report, titled “Legal analysis of the conduct of Israel in Gaza pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”, was published by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel on September 16th. The UN report has confirmed what we all already know. That Israel is undoubtedly committing a genocide in Gaza, with the report stating that “the Commission concludes that the State of Israel bears responsibility for the failure to prevent genocide, the commission of genocide and the failure to punish genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
Genocide, as defined under article two of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, occurs when there is an “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group,” through any of the following acts:
- Killing members of the group;
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Of these acts, the UN report found that Israel has been committing four of these in Gaza, with those being: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. Navi Pillay, the Chair of the Commission and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that “it is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention” and that “The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities had no intention to change their course of actions. On the contrary, Israeli authorities have persisted and continued with their genocidal campaign in Gaza for almost two years now. Israel must immediately end the genocide in Gaza and comply fully with the orders for provisional measures of the International Court of Justice”.
This is far from the first report detailing that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Back in January 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that it was plausible that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. Additionally, in December 2024, Amnesty International published a report in which they concluded that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. Agnès Callamard, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, stated at the time that “our research reveals that, for months, Israel has persisted in committing genocidal acts, fully aware of the irreparable harm it was inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza”.
It is also important to note that Israel’s denial of the rights of Palestinians didn’t start after October 7th, it is a continuation of decades of apartheid, occupation, and displacement of Palestinians, going all the way back to the Nakba in 1948, where Palestinians were violently forced from their homes.
With this report, we are seeing the tide of the international community shift further away from unwavering support for Israel. In the United States, Senator Bernie Sanders for the first time called the war in Gaza a genocide, stating that “The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza”. Sanders additionally stated that “Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own”. Meanwhile, this September, a number of states, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have formally recognized the State of Palestine, joining other countries such as Ireland.
In Ireland, the response to the UN report has been particularly strong. Taoiseach Micheál Martin stated that “it’s very, very clear from that report that a genocide is taking place and Israel will have to be held to account, and the government of Israel will have to be held to account, for what is happening” and that “the United States and Europe and the wider world has to increase the pressure on Israel to stop this carnage and stop the slaughter of innocent civilians, and get a massive, massive surge of aid into Gaza”. Likewise, Tánaiste Simon Harris stated that “the need for action has never been more urgent. In fact, it is long past due” and that “we need an urgent ceasefire, the release of all hostages, for humanitarian aid to flow and for a concerted effort to bring about a two-state solution”. The question now is if the Irish government will finally act and pass the Occupied Territories Bill, including both goods and services.
In response to the report, Sinn Féin National Chairperson, Declan Kearney MLA stated that “Israel is a rogue, terrorist state”, that “comprehensive arms embargoes must be imposed, and trade and diplomatic relations should be terminated” and that “there must be total international isolation of the Israeli state”. Likewise, Labour’s foreign affairs spokesperson Duncan Smith TD said that “Israel must be isolated by the international community – culturally, in sport, through trade and in academia. Every global forum matters, whether it is football, universities, or Eurovision. We need to see action now”.
The question now is whether the international community will finally take concrete steps to isolate Israel for as long as it continues to commit genocide. Navi Pillay stated that “The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity”. Given the mounting evidence, it is now time for the international community to act through sanctioning Israel and cutting ties with the genocidal Israeli government. Over 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, and only more will continue to be murdered by Israeli forces unless concrete steps are taken to force Israel’s hand.
