Relatives and loved ones of Palestinians who lost their lives in Israeli attacks mourn for the deceased on Tuesday.Imago/Zuma

Leading genocide scholars have ruled that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.

In a resolution issued Sunday by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the scholars argue that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide under the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. That document, which has been ratified by more than 150 member states, characterizes genocide as crimes “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

The IAGS resolution cites several figures and examples from Israel’s war in Gaza to make its cases: more than 59,000 reported fatalities and 143,000 reported injuries, according to the UN; deliberate attacks on journalists, aid workers, and medical professionals; the aid blockade; and the destruction of Palestinian schools and cultural sites.

The resolution calls on the Israeli government “to immediately cease all acts that constitute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza” and asks both the Israeli government and the UN “to support a........

© Mother Jones