JERUSALEM: Israel is “still committing genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip despite the ceasefire agreed last month,

Amnesty International said on Thursday. The fragile, US-brokered truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Oct 10.

“The ceasefire risks creating a dangerous illusion that life in Gaza is returning to normal,” said Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard.

“But while Israeli authorities and forces have reduced the scale of their attacks and allowed limited amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the world must not be fooled. Israel’s genocide is not over.”

The 1948 UN Genocide Convention defines genocide as any of five “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”.

In December last year, Amnesty concluded that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza via three of those acts, including deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction.

In an update on Thursday, Amnesty said: “Israel continues to severely restrict the entry of supplies and the restoration of services essential for the survival of the civilian population.

“Despite a reduction in scale of attacks, and some limited improvements, there has been no meaningful change in the conditions Israel is inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza and no evidence to indicate that Israel’s intent has changed.”

Following Amnesty’s findings in December, Israel’s foreign ministry called the London-based group a “deplorable and fanatical organisation”.

“Israel is defending itself... acting fully in accordance with international law,” it said.

‘Pattern of conduct’

Callamard said: “Israel’s pattern of conduct in Gaza, including the deliberate, unlawful denial of lifesaving aid to Palestinians, many of whom are injured, malnourished and at risk of serious disease, continues to threaten their survival.”

In September, the independent international Commission of Inquiry set up by the United Nations concluded that “genocide is occurring in Gaza”.

The probe concluded that Israeli authorities and forces had since October 2023 committed “four of the five genocidal acts” listed in the 1948 Genocide Convention.

These five acts include killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions to destroy the group, preventing births and transferring children out of the group.

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel “to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide” in Gaza.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2025