The war between Israel and Hamas has now stretched into its third year. Dueling visions of hope and horror have played out in the Middle East over recent days, as the framework of a peace plan is being discussed and another punishing Israeli offensive is being carried out. But the past two years have provided an increasingly strong case that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, directly in front of our watching eyes. As hopes of peace flicker once again, we must remember and hold to account Israel’s atrocities.
To make the case for genocide, we must determine how to define it. Usually, the word “genocide” calls to mind the horrors of the Holocaust, where over six million Jews died at the hands of the Nazi regime. In fact, the term was born out of the need to put a name to such atrocities. When the United Nations defined genocide in a 1948 convention, they described it as the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” Since then, major examples of genocide include the Rwandan massacre of the Tutsi people in 1994, Serbia’s killings of Bosnians in 1995 and Pol Pot’s reign of terror in 1970s Cambodia. Many more instances of possible genocide have occurred but have not been formally recognized.
Accusations of genocide have followed Israel almost since the war against Hamas began, after Hamas killed 1200 Israelis and took 250 hostages in a surprise attack on October 7, 2023. Over the course of the war, at least 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, a number that does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel has bombed schools, hospitals and refugee camps, all the while claiming that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Israel has also let minimal aid into Gaza – sometimes refusing to allow any food in – causing widespread famine and malnourishment. Palestinians in Gaza are starving and dying, and still Israel continues the offensive, ostensibly to recover the last of the hostages.
Recently, the charge of genocide against Israel has gained more traction. An independent commission of inquiry formed by the UN determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza based on the acts defined in the original convention, including killing members of a group, deliberately inflicting conditions designed to destroy the group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm and preventing births.
The ultimate indicator of genocide is intent, and Israeli leaders have made no shortage of comments to that end. Nissim Vaturi, deputy speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s legislative body, argued that “Gaza should be wiped off the face of the earth.” Similarly, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Gaza would be “totally destroyed” and its population “totally despairing.” These are not the statements of those fighting combatants — this is about eviscerating a people and a territory.
The growing evidence of genocide, however, has not stopped the US government from being a wholehearted supporter of Israel. This has remained the same even as public opinion has turned to support for Palestinians. Since the start of the war, the US has given at least $16.3 billion for military aid to Israel, and our contributions make up the largest portion of its arms imports by far. In most cases, it is our country’s bombs that have fallen on innocent civilians, razed buildings and killed tens of thousands. We did not give the orders, but we helped make those orders possible with our money and equipment.
The peace plan currently in the works may or may not be successful; we’ve seen previous efforts to end the conflict fail due to objections from both Israel and Hamas. Even a temporary ceasefire from January to March 2025, which saw the return of some Israeli hostages and the release of many Palestinian prisoners, ultimately collapsed when Israel resumed its airstrikes on Gaza.
If a permanent and lasting peace can be achieved, there will no doubt be relief. But peace does not mean justice, and it will not fix the fundamental problem: Gaza and its people have been decimated. One out of every 10 Gazans has been killed or injured, the vast majority have been displaced, and many are starving, including babies who are so malnourished they weigh less than when they were born, according to NPR. In April 2025, the UN estimated it could take 16 to 80 years to rebuild Gaza after the fighting stops, and there are 50 million tons of debris to clean up along the way. It is clear that almost superhuman efforts will be needed to restore Gaza to a semblance of normality, and just who will run that effort is still an open question.
The genocide by Israel against Palestinians must remain at the forefront of our minds, even if a deal is struck for peace. The famous phrase “Never again,” coined after the Holocaust, has sadly proved untrue and Gaza is the latest example. Both the U.S. and the world must hold Israel accountable for its crimes and demonstrate that justice will be done.
Comparing 6 million Jews murdered in ww2 genocide to 60k fighters and innocents killed in Gaza. Hmmmm…. Bit of a stretch there buddy.
Israel may have committed war crimes, but you forgot about holding Hamas accountable. They prevented the people of Gaza from evacuating the Gaza Strip at the beginning of the war; they even labeled the call to evacuate “genocide.” Hamas built the most extensive bomb shelter network in the world, but did not allow a single citizen to use it. Hamas not once asked for a ceasefire, or to prolong a ceasefire. They could have released the hostages at any moment, laid down their arms, and ended the war. Even now they are haggling over which murderers they want freed from Israeli prisons. If Hamas wants an end to the “genocide,” why not surrender unconditionally? None of this behavior is consistent with genocide. In no case of genocide did the victims have the ability to negotiate an end to the killing, and in no case were the victims forcibly kept in the combat theater by their own defense force.
For a just end to this conflict, Hamas must disarm and its leaders must be exiled. This is the least that could be done after they knowingly and willingly brought such great devastation on the people of Gaza.
I don’t think a “just end” includes exile of Hamas leaders. They must be brought to justice in Israel, by International community or – if there is to be a functioning state of Palestine- by the Palestinian authorities. One fundamental problem is that even after all the damage it caused to ordinary Gazans, Hamas is probably still revered as heros there (and,disturbingly, by western activists). I guess three generations of Hamas style fascist indoctrination will do that!
Patrick, doesn’t the fact that Israel stopped the war and pull back on the promise of hostage release show that this war was about getting their hostages back and disarming Hamas and was NOT a “genocide”? And Where’s the outrage at Hamas’ public executions of gazans as they try to reassert control?
Greetings Patrick, my congrats on a very well crafted Opinion.
My sole response after scanning this rather biased diatribe of Editorial Self Expression
happens to be what Color is the Sky above Storrs these days. As a former member of
the CDC Staff your unique treatment of the term Genocide is defies pure imagination and
merits a hefty wager on Final Jeopardy.