Genocide in Gaza. Period.

In our contemporary world, governments, ranging from the most influential to the seemingly insignificant, are increasingly becoming synonymous with a lack of empathy and humanity.

These entities appear impervious to the suffering, death, and devastation inflicted upon countless individuals within their spheres of influence and control.

A stark illustration of this is found in the unfolding tragedy often referred to as the second Nakba, where Palestinians are forcibly displaced from their homes in Gaza, disrupting lives that have spanned decades and generations since their expulsion from Palestine 75 years ago.

Witnessing the heart-wrenching scenes of thousands of men, women, children, and the vulnerable elderly streaming out of Gaza with minimal notice, in the midst of a temporary ‘pause’ in Israel’s aggressive actions, is a sobering experience.

Only weeks prior, these individuals led lives with some semblance of normalcy, having roofs over their heads and basic amenities, even if confined to what has been termed an open-air prison, the Gaza Strip.

The alarm has been sounded by 800 distinguished scholars and practitioners of law who, collectively, voiced concerns about an imminent genocide in the region.

The gravity of this warning is heightened by the fact that numerous legal experts, after careful consideration, reached this chilling conclusion together.

Such a proclamation is not made lightly, and it underscores the severity of the situation. Since the issuance of that ominous letter, the situation in Gaza has deteriorated further.

The death toll has surpassed 11,000, and around 2,650 individuals, including approximately 1,400 children, are unaccounted for, either missing or potentially buried beneath the rubble.

Medical facilities, already strained, are now overwhelmed by tens of thousands of wounded individuals. The humanitarian crisis has reached nightmarish proportions, exacerbated by acute shortages of food, water, fuel, and electricity.

To comprehend the unfolding tragedy in Gaza, it is imperative to turn to the foundational legal frameworks that define genocide.

Article 6 of the Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court and Article 2 of the Genocide Convention delineate genocide as acts committed with the specific intent to destroy, either wholly or partially, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

These acts encompass killing members of the targeted group, causing them severe harm, and imposing conditions of life aimed at the physical destruction of the group, among other underlying acts.

Importantly, the targeted population can be a geographically restricted subset of the larger group. The harrowing reality in Gaza starkly mirrors the components outlined in these legal definitions of genocide.

The deliberate destruction of lives, the infliction of serious harm, and the imposition of conditions leading to the physical annihilation of the Palestinian population in Gaza align with the criteria established by international law.

The world watches as governments, whether through complicity or silence, contribute to the unfolding tragedy, challenging the very principles of empathy, humanity, and justice that should guide our global community.