For first time, two leading Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza : Ivana Kottasová, Abeer Salman / CNN

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Summary
For the first time, two prominent Israeli human rights organizations — B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) — have jointly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. B’Tselem’s 79-page report concludes that the destruction inflicted since October 2023 — including mass killings, starvation, forced displacement, and decimation of Gaza’s infrastructure — cannot be justified as military action and instead constitutes a systematic campaign to destroy Palestinian society. 

PHRI released its own legal-medical report, asserting that Israel has deliberately dismantled Gaza’s health system in a manner consistent with genocidal intent.

Both organizations explicitly reject the Israeli government’s claim that it is targeting only Hamas. Instead, they document a pattern of intent to harm Palestinians as a group. B’Tselem also accuses the international community — especially the US and Europe — of enabling genocide through arms shipments and diplomatic support, even after warnings by the International Court of Justice.

CNN contextualizes this as a major shift: while international groups like Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, and the UN had previously made similar claims, these are the first such accusations from within Israeli civil society — a development likely to carry significant weight in global forums, including the International Court of Justice, where South Africa’s genocide case is pending.

Quotes

“This is not about collateral damage from war, but a deliberate policy aimed at harming the Palestinian population as a group.” — PHRI
“Nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us.” — Yuli Novak, Executive Director, B’Tselem
“Our genocide has context.” — B’Tselem report
 Israeli government spokesperson
“Alongside a growing segment of the Israeli public, we observe with shock the harrowing scenes emerging daily from Gaza.” — Joint statement from presidents of five Israeli universities

Summary of the report of the Physicians for Human Rights, Israel  - Genocide in Gaza  (for a summary of the B'Tselem report "Our Genocide" see our earlier post

Summary
PHRI’s July 28 position paper accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza by systematically dismantling the health system and creating conditions that make life unsustainable for the population. The report documents that since October 13, 2023, Israel has destroyed or disabled nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and clinics, deprived facilities of fuel and water, and killed or detained more than 1,800 medical staff. As a result, essential medical services — including maternal care, dialysis, and treatment for cancer and chronic disease — have collapsed.

The report emphasizes that this destruction is not incidental to military operations but is part of a deliberate strategy. With 92% of young children malnourished, at least 85 children dead from starvation, and 90% of the population displaced, PHRI argues that Israel has deliberately engineered conditions that ensure continuing death from starvation, infection, and preventable illness — even if the war ends today. This, PHRI concludes, meets the definition of genocide under international law.

Comparing the two reports

**B’Tselem: “Our Genocide”**	**PHRI: “Deliberate Dismantling of Gaza’s Health System”**
**Focus:** Systemic destruction of Palestinian society in Gaza — killings, starvation, displacement, and cultural erasure.	**Focus:** Legal and medical documentation of Israel's destruction of Gaza’s health system as a genocidal act.
**Key Finding:** Israel is committing genocide “with intent to destroy” the Palestinian population in Gaza as a group.	**Key Finding:** The health system was not incidentally harmed but systematically dismantled, violating the Genocide Convention.
**Scope of Documentation:** 20 months of data; thousands of incidents; includes testimony from Gaza, the West Bank, and inside Israel.	**Scope of Documentation:** Medical records, field interviews, and hospital-level data documenting collapse of surgical care and sanitation.
**Quoted Statement:** “Nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide.” – Yuli Novak	**Quoted Statement:** “This is not collateral damage… but a deliberate policy aimed at harming the Palestinian population as a group.”
**Accusations against international actors:** Criticizes U.S. and European governments for materially and diplomatically enabling the genocide.	**Medical consequence:** Thousands of amputations performed without anesthesia; infants and mothers dying from malnutrition and collapse of care.
[**Read the full report**](https://www.btselem.org/publications/202507_our_genocide)	[**Read the full report**](https://www.phr.org.il/en/genocide-in-gaza-eng/)