ICSPR Affirms That Two Years of Continuous Violence in Gaza Constitute Genocide Requiring Urgent International Action
Date: 8 December 2025
Press Release
On the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, ICSPR affirms that what has been taking place in Gaza for two consecutive years constitutes a complete act of genocide requiring urgent international intervention to stop it and deliver justice to the victims
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) has sent an official letter to a number of UN and international senior officials on the occasion of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime. The message was delivered amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip for the third consecutive year, resulting in massive human and material devastation that has severely affected civilians, infrastructure, and all foundations of life.
In its memorandum, the Commission addressed the following officials:
UN Secretary-General António Guterres,
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk,
Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu,
Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation, and guarantees of non-repetition Alice Jacqueline Nandi Key,
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory Francesca Albanese,
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism Ben Saul,
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan,
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay,
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
The Commission emphasized at the beginning of its memorandum that this international occasion loses its moral weight if not accompanied by real and serious global action to stop the genocide and massacres occurring in Gaza since 7 October 2023. ICSPR pointed out that the Strip has suffered, throughout two years, one of the most catastrophic humanitarian, environmental, and social collapses in modern history, amid the absence of effective international protection and the failure of the global system to enforce international humanitarian law.
ICSPR explained that more than 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza have endured unprecedented coercive living conditions, including mass killing, forced displacement, starvation, denial of humanitarian aid, destruction of health and education systems, and deliberate targeting of infrastructure, hospitals, homes, and places of worship. These conditions have led to a total collapse of life necessities, rendering the Strip an uninhabitable disaster zone.
The Commission noted that Israeli crimes over the past two years have resulted in 80,639 deaths and disappearances, including 70,137 whose bodies reached hospitals, while about 9,500 remain missing, most of them under the rubble. Among the victims were 20,000 children and 12,500 women, including 9,000 mothers, in addition to thousands of families that were completely or nearly wiped out — clear evidence that civilians were the direct target of military operations.
The memorandum highlighted that 171,583 people were injured, many of them sustaining life-altering disabilities requiring long-term treatment and rehabilitation, including amputations, paralysis, and blindness, alongside widespread outbreaks of epidemics and infectious diseases caused by the collapse of medical, water, and sanitation systems.
ICSPR stated that ninety percent of schools and educational facilities were destroyed or rendered non-functional, leaving 785,000 students without access to education, after 13,500 students were killed, along with 830 teachers and hundreds of academics and researchers. Additionally, 38 hospitals and 96 medical centers were destroyed or shut down, and ambulances and medical supply routes were targeted — which ICSPR described as a direct violation of the Geneva Conventions.
The memorandum further detailed the famine sweeping the Strip, with 650,000 children at risk of starvation, and 40,000 infants facing death due to the lack of milk and severe malnutrition, exacerbated by the closure of crossing points, restrictions on food, fuel, and medical supplies, the destruction of food kitchens and distribution centers, and the killing of hundreds of relief workers.
ICSPR also addressed the housing crisis, reporting the destruction of 268,000 homes in total, widespread partial destruction of other residential units, the displacement of two million Palestinians, and the loss of shelter for hundreds of thousands of families. Schools and hospitals have become mass burial grounds or overcrowded shelters unfit for human habitation.
The Commission affirmed that these acts constitute genocide under the 1948 UN Convention, as well as war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, in addition to severe violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and clear disregard for the rulings and protective measures mandated by the International Court of Justice.
In its memorandum, ICSPR called for urgent international action to stop the genocide and enforce a permanent ceasefire, ensure civilian protection through effective UN mechanisms, fully open crossings to allow the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and humanitarian supplies, refer Israeli crimes to the International Criminal Court, impose sanctions on those responsible, establish safe corridors for medical evacuations, and launch a sustained humanitarian air and land bridge. The Commission also called for a comprehensive UN program for reconstruction, psychological support, compensation, and reparation for victims.
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) concluded its message by asserting that commemorating the victims of genocide is meaningless without halting the ongoing crimes in Gaza. The Commission stressed that international intervention today is both a legal and moral obligation — one capable of saving entire generations and preventing repetition of such crimes against the Palestinian people.
