Israeli war crimes

Israeli forces Israeli war crimes are violations of international criminal law , including war crimes , crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide , which Israeli security forces have committed or been accused of committing since the founding of Israel in 1948. These have included murder , intentional targeting of civilians , killing prisoners of war and surrendered combatants , indiscriminate attacks , collective punishment , starvation , persecution , the use of human shields , sexual violence and rape , torture , pillage , forced transfer , breach of medical neutrality , enforced disappearance , targeting journalists, attacking civilian and protected objects, wanton destruction, incitement to genocide , and genocide . Ambulance destroyed in the neighborhood of Shuja'iyya in Gaza City during the 2014 Gaza War Israel ratified the Geneva Conventions on 6 July 1951, and on 2 January 2015 the State of Palestine acceded to the Rome Statute , granting the International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories . Human rights experts argue that actions taken by the Israel Defense Forces during armed conflicts in the occupied Palestinian territories fall under the rubric of war crimes. Special rapporteurs from the United Nations, organizations including Human Rights Watch , Médecins Sans Frontières , Amnesty International , and human rights experts have accused Israel of war crimes. Since 2006, the United Nations Human Rights Council has mandated several fact finding missions into violations of international law, including war crimes, in the occupied Palestinian territories, and in May 2021 established a permanent, ongoing inquiry . Since 2021, the ICC has had an active investigation into Israeli war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel has refused to cooperate with the investigations. In December 2023, South Africa invoked the 1948 Genocide Convention and charged Israel with war crimes and acts of genocide committed in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza Strip . The case, South Africa v. Israel , was set to be heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and South Africa presented its case to the court on 10 January. In March 2024, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories found there were "reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission" of acts of genocide had been met. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In December 2024, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused Israel of genocide . Attributed to multiple sources: "Gaza: Apparent War Crimes During May Fighting" . "Israeli Settlements Should be Classified as War Crimes, Says Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in OPT" . "The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel" . "South Africa files genocide case against Israel at International Court of Justice over Gaza war" . Through its research findings and legal analysis, Amnesty International has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel committed, during the nine-month period under review, prohibited acts under Articles II (a), (b) and (c) of the Genocide Convention, namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part. The organization has also found sufficient basis to conclude that these acts were committed with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, as such, who form a substantial part of the Palestinian population. According to Amnesty International, the evidence it has gathered provides a sufficient basis to conclude that Israel, through its policies, actions and omissions against Palestinians in Gaza following 7 October 2023, committed and is committing genocide. Although this report focused on a nine-month period, Amnesty International is unaware of evidence suggesting that Israel's policies, actions and omissions have changed in any significant way. The commission of genocide engages Israel's responsibility under the Genocide Convention.