(image credit: Medical Aid for Palestinians)
Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Amnesty International said for the first time on Wednesday, calling on countries, especially those with influence over Israel, such as the US and Germany, to take action to bring the violence to an end.
“The Palestinian people will not recover from this in our lifetimes as a people, and we're failing to call it what it is,” Amnesty International executive director Paul O’Brien told Zeteo.
“I think there's this misunderstanding that it's impossible to watch a genocide unfolding before your eyes. But that is precisely what is happening, and I am convinced that we will look back in years to come and say, ‘Why did we not do more earlier?’” he added.
Amnesty International reached its conclusion after examining Israel’s actions and statements over a nine-month period from Oct. 7, 2023, and early July and interviewing more than 200 people, including Palestinian victims of Israeli air strikes, displacement, and detention; local authorities in Gaza; and healthcare and aid workers.
“Here in Deir al-Balah, it’s like an apocalypse,” Mohammed, a 42-year-old father of three, was quoted by Amnesty as saying.
