• The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) declares Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
• Over 63,000 Palestinians have reportedly died since the onset of Israel's military operations in October 2023.
• The IAGS resolution received overwhelming support, with 86% of voting members in favor.
• Israel's Foreign Ministry dismisses the resolution as "disgraceful" and based on misinformation.
• The UN and other organizations are increasingly pressured to label the situation in Gaza as genocide.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), a prominent body of 500 academics, has passed a resolution stating that Israel's actions in Gaza "meet the legal definition of genocide" as laid out by the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The resolution indicates that Israel's policies amount to genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, prompting increasing international scrutiny of its military operations in Gaza since October 2023, following a Hamas attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, according to HuffPost, Al Jazeera, and Dawn.

The resolution passed with overwhelming support, as 86% of participating members voted in favor, thereby drawing a significant consensus among leading genocide experts. It calls for an immediate cessation of actions that are considered genocidal, including "deliberate attacks on civilians, starvation, deprivation of humanitarian aid, and forced displacement," according to BBC, Newsweek, and ABC News.

Since the onset of the military campaign, over 63,000 Palestinians have been killed, and the number of displaced individuals has reached staggering levels, compounding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Acknowledging these issues, a UN-backed hunger monitor has declared parts of Gaza are experiencing famine, a state attributed to the blockade and military operations led by Israel, as reported by TRT Global and Al Jazeera.

In response to the IAGS resolution, Israel's Foreign Ministry condemned the findings as "an embarrassment to the legal profession," accusing the organization of relying on misinformation propagated by Hamas. The ministry argues that the accusation of genocide undermines Israel's narrative that its actions are justified self-defense against terrorism, specifically citing the Hamas-led attack on October 7, which, according to Israeli reports, resulted in numerous fatalities and abductions, as per HuffPost, Dawn, and ABC News.

The gravity of these accusations heightens the legal complexities surrounding Israel’s military actions in Gaza, especially given ongoing cases at the International Court of Justice regarding alleged genocidal acts. The court's evaluations may take years to reach a conclusion, leaving the humanitarian situation in Gaza unresolved while international calls for action intensify, as highlighted by remarks from IAGS president Melanie O'Brien on the necessity for urgent international intervention, according to BBC and Newsweek.