UN report Israeli occupation practices against Palestinians since October 7 amount to genocide

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 presented a report to the 61st session of the Human Rights Council, concluding that Israeli practices against Palestinians since 7 October 2023 amount to genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The report, entitled “Torture and Genocide,” addresses the systematic use of torture within the context of detention and non-detention policies. It argues that these practices are part of a broader pattern that includes mass killings, forced displacement, destruction of livelihoods, and denial of basic needs, resulting in long-term physical and psychological harm.

The report indicates that the Israeli detention system has degenerated into a system based on humiliation, coercion, and systematic terror, aimed at stripping Palestinians of their freedom, dignity, and identity. It emphasizes that these practices are not isolated incidents but rather institutionalized behavior with political backing. The report emphasized that the deliberate destruction of essential living conditions, including the targeting of homes and infrastructure and the denial of medical care and food to the population, constitutes serious physical and mental harm as defined in Article II of the Genocide Convention.

The report called on the Israeli government to immediately cease all acts of torture and ill-treatment, both in and outside detention facilities. It also demanded the dismantling of the apartheid system, an end to the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, and guarantees of accountability, reparations, and non-recurrence.

The report recommended granting the International Committee of the Red Cross, UN commissions of inquiry, and independent experts access to places of detention to investigate violations. It also called on member states to commit to non-complicity in alleged crimes and to work to prevent them and hold perpetrators accountable.

In the same vein, the report called