Amnesty accuses Israel of ‘live-streamed genocide’ in Gaza

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Amnesty International accused Israel on Tuesday of committing a “live-streamed genocide” against Palestinians by forcibly displacing Gazans and creating a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged territory, claims Israel dismissed as “blatant lies”.

Echoing global concern after more than 18 months of war, the United Nations´ rights chief Volker Turk meanwhile called on the international community to launch “concerted efforts” to end Israel´s total aid blockade on the Gaza Strip, in effect since early March.

Rights group Amnesty, in its annual report, said Israel was acting with “specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, thus committing genocide”. The war erupted after Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel´s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 52,365 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. “Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas perpetrated horrific crimes against Israeli citizens and others and captured more than 250 hostages, the world has been made audience to a live-streamed genocide,” Amnesty´s secretary-general Agnes Callamard said.

“States watched on as if powerless, as Israel killed thousands upon thousands of Palestinians, wiping out entire multigenerational families, destroying homes, livelihoods, hospitals and schools.”