Share this post:
“Israel is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide.”
— B’Tselem, July 2025
An extraordinary development has shattered the last remnants of plausible deniability for Western governments: B’Tselem, Israel’s leading human rights organisation, has released a detailed 90-page report stating unequivocally that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
This is not coming from a foreign non-governmental organisation, a partisan outlet, or a grassroots activist network.
It is coming from inside Israel.
B’Tselem, whose reputation for rigorous documentation of human rights violations stretches back more than three decades, is no stranger to controversy—but never before has it issued such a damning conclusion.
In its July 2025 report, titled “Our Genocide”, B’Tselem systematically examines Israel’s actions since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and concludes that the subsequent assault on Gaza constitutes a deliberate, coordinated campaign to destroy Palestinian society.
The organisation identifies a wide range of acts that clearly meet the definition of genocide under international law—including mass killing, deliberate starvation, forced displacement, destruction of cultural and political life, and the systematic dehumanisation of Palestinians.
Let that sink in.
Genocide.
Not “potential war crimes.”
Not “allegations of disproportionate force.”
Not “tragic collateral damage.”
The word used is genocide.
And yet, here in the UK, the government continues to act as though nothing has changed.
B’Tselem’s charges: genocide defined and documented
The Our Genocide report opens with a brutal summary of the situation:
“Since October 2023, Israel has fundamentally changed its policy toward the Palestinians… [it has inflicted] serious bodily or mental harm to the entire population of the Strip; large-scale destruction of infrastructure… mass forced displacement, including attempts at ethnic cleansing… and an assault on Palestinian identity through the deliberate destruction of refugee camps…”
B’Tselem references the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948, which defines genocide as any of several acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. These acts include:
-
Killing members of the group
-
Causing serious bodily or mental harm
-
Inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the group’s destruction
-
Imposing measures intended to prevent births
-
Forcibly transferring children to another group
B’Tselem’s report painstakingly documents Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians, not only through direct military violence but also by creating unliveable conditions in which people die from malnutrition, disease, and lack of medical care.
Among the figures cited are the following:
-
More than 58,000 killed, mostly civilians
-
More than 138,000 wounded, many suffering amputations or trauma without anaesthetic
-
Destruction of every hospital in Gaza; most are non-functional
-
Use of starvation as a method of warfare
-
Bombing of “safe zones” and aid distribution centers
-
Psychological trauma affecting nearly every child in Gaza, many of whom now express suicidal thoughts.
“The intent is clear”
Perhaps the most damning section of the report deals with genocidal intent—a crucial requirement under the Genocide Convention.
B’Tselem argues that this intent is “unequivocal”, based on:
-
Statements from Israeli leaders and generals openly calling for the destruction of Gaza
-
The pattern of indiscriminate attacks, even after repeated warnings
-
The use of collective punishment against Gaza’s entire population
-
The normalization of such violence across Israeli society, politics, and media
This is not a war to remove Hamas, B’Tselem argues.
This is a war on Palestinians as a group.
It quotes one testimony from a father who watched his son burn to death in a tent bombed inside a “safe zone,” and another from a mother whose husband and children were run over by an Israeli tank.
“It felt like pieces of hell were falling onto the earth,” one survivor says.
“We’re living in a horror movie,” says another.
These are not isolated stories.
B’Tselem presents them as part of a consistent and state-directed pattern of behaviour.
The UK bovernment’s complicity
Despite this, the UK government continues to provide arms, diplomatic cover, and political legitimacy to the Israeli state.
The UK:
-
Licenses arms exports to Israel, including components for weapons used in Gaza
-
Has refused to support South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
-
Boycotted UN ceasefire votes or abstained from them
-
Repeatedly parrots the line that “Israel has a right to defend itself”—even as hospitals, schools, and refugee camps are reduced to rubble
This is no longer simply a case of turning a blind eye. Under Article I of the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is a signatory:
“The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide… is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.”
That is not optional.
It is a binding obligation.
And it means that if the UK continues to sell arms and offer diplomatic support to a state committing genocide, it is complicit—not just morally, but legally.
“Act urgently”: B’Tselem’s call to the international community
Although B’Tselem does not name the UK directly, its message to the world could not be clearer:
“We call on… the international community to act urgently to put an immediate stop to Israel’s assault on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and across all areas under Israeli control, using every means available under international law.”
That includes:
-
Immediate arms embargoes
-
Diplomatic isolation of Israeli war leaders
-
Support for prosecution through the ICJ and International Criminal Court (ICC)
-
Ceasefire pressure and unconditional humanitarian aid delivery
In short: do everything possible to stop the genocide.
And yet, British ministers remain largely silent—deflecting with platitudes or simply pretending the word “genocide” hasn’t been used.
The media, too, are largely failing to grasp the gravity of what B’Tselem has laid out.
No more excuses — the time to act is now
The UK’s government ministers cannot claim they did not know.
The facts are on the table.
The evidence is overwhelming.
The warning has come not from a political opponent of Israel but from within Israel’s own human rights community.
B’Tselem has done its job.
It has documented, verified, and exposed the facts.
Now it is our turn.
We must demand that the UK:
-
Immediately suspend all arms sales to Israel
-
Support international legal action, including South Africa’s ICJ case
-
Recognise the unfolding genocide, as acknowledged by B’Tselem, UN experts, and global human rights organisations
-
Apply sanctions and diplomatic consequences, not rewards
-
Stop shielding Israel from accountability and act as a genuine partner in upholding international law
Anything less is complicity.
So here’s what you can do to help stop the genocide — today.
1. Email your MP — demand action
Tell your MP you want the UK to:
-
Suspend arms exports to Israel immediately
-
Support the ICJ genocide case brought by South Africa
-
Call for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access to Gaza
Use this tool to find and email your MP in under 2 minutes:
👉 https://www.writetothem.com
Don’t wait. Make your voice heard — MPs count individual messages far more than social media posts.
2. Sign and Share Petitions
Add your name to campaigns demanding UK action:
Then share them — publicly and privately.
3. Support independent reporting and legal work
Donate to groups fighting for justice:
4. Break the silence
Talk about this — in your workplace, place of worship, union, school or social media.
Ask people: Have you seen the B’Tselem report? Do you realise this is genocide?
Don’t let this be buried.
The more people speak up, the more pressure there is to act.
5. Join a protest or organise one
Look for local Palestine solidarity events, marches, or vigils — or help organise one yourself through:
Mass mobilisation has stopped government policy before. It can again.
6. Refuse to be complicit
If your workplace, union, school, or institution is investing in companies linked to arms sales or Israeli occupation, speak up. Push for:
You can shift policies — if you start the conversation.
You are not powerless.
The UK’s silence helps make genocide possible. Your voice helps make it stop.
Use it – now.
“We all live under a discriminatory apartheid regime that classifies some of us as privileged… and others as undeserving of any protection simply because we are Palestinian.”
— B’Tselem, Our Genocide (2025)
The UK helped write the Genocide Convention. If we still believe in it, this is the time to prove it.
If not now, when?
Share this post:
Israeli human rights group says Israel is committing genocide and UK must act now
Share this post:
An extraordinary development has shattered the last remnants of plausible deniability for Western governments: B’Tselem, Israel’s leading human rights organisation, has released a detailed 90-page report stating unequivocally that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
This is not coming from a foreign non-governmental organisation, a partisan outlet, or a grassroots activist network.
It is coming from inside Israel.
B’Tselem, whose reputation for rigorous documentation of human rights violations stretches back more than three decades, is no stranger to controversy—but never before has it issued such a damning conclusion.
In its July 2025 report, titled “Our Genocide”, B’Tselem systematically examines Israel’s actions since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks and concludes that the subsequent assault on Gaza constitutes a deliberate, coordinated campaign to destroy Palestinian society.
The organisation identifies a wide range of acts that clearly meet the definition of genocide under international law—including mass killing, deliberate starvation, forced displacement, destruction of cultural and political life, and the systematic dehumanisation of Palestinians.
Let that sink in.
Genocide.
Not “potential war crimes.”
Not “allegations of disproportionate force.”
Not “tragic collateral damage.”
The word used is genocide.
And yet, here in the UK, the government continues to act as though nothing has changed.
B’Tselem’s charges: genocide defined and documented
The Our Genocide report opens with a brutal summary of the situation:
B’Tselem references the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948, which defines genocide as any of several acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group. These acts include:
Killing members of the group
Causing serious bodily or mental harm
Inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the group’s destruction
Imposing measures intended to prevent births
Forcibly transferring children to another group
B’Tselem’s report painstakingly documents Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians, not only through direct military violence but also by creating unliveable conditions in which people die from malnutrition, disease, and lack of medical care.
Among the figures cited are the following:
More than 58,000 killed, mostly civilians
More than 138,000 wounded, many suffering amputations or trauma without anaesthetic
Destruction of every hospital in Gaza; most are non-functional
Use of starvation as a method of warfare
Bombing of “safe zones” and aid distribution centers
Psychological trauma affecting nearly every child in Gaza, many of whom now express suicidal thoughts.
“The intent is clear”
Perhaps the most damning section of the report deals with genocidal intent—a crucial requirement under the Genocide Convention.
B’Tselem argues that this intent is “unequivocal”, based on:
Statements from Israeli leaders and generals openly calling for the destruction of Gaza
The pattern of indiscriminate attacks, even after repeated warnings
The use of collective punishment against Gaza’s entire population
The normalization of such violence across Israeli society, politics, and media
This is not a war to remove Hamas, B’Tselem argues.
This is a war on Palestinians as a group.
It quotes one testimony from a father who watched his son burn to death in a tent bombed inside a “safe zone,” and another from a mother whose husband and children were run over by an Israeli tank.
These are not isolated stories.
B’Tselem presents them as part of a consistent and state-directed pattern of behaviour.
The UK bovernment’s complicity
Despite this, the UK government continues to provide arms, diplomatic cover, and political legitimacy to the Israeli state.
The UK:
Licenses arms exports to Israel, including components for weapons used in Gaza
Has refused to support South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Boycotted UN ceasefire votes or abstained from them
Repeatedly parrots the line that “Israel has a right to defend itself”—even as hospitals, schools, and refugee camps are reduced to rubble
This is no longer simply a case of turning a blind eye. Under Article I of the Genocide Convention, to which the UK is a signatory:
That is not optional.
It is a binding obligation.
And it means that if the UK continues to sell arms and offer diplomatic support to a state committing genocide, it is complicit—not just morally, but legally.
“Act urgently”: B’Tselem’s call to the international community
Although B’Tselem does not name the UK directly, its message to the world could not be clearer:
That includes:
Immediate arms embargoes
Diplomatic isolation of Israeli war leaders
Support for prosecution through the ICJ and International Criminal Court (ICC)
Ceasefire pressure and unconditional humanitarian aid delivery
In short: do everything possible to stop the genocide.
And yet, British ministers remain largely silent—deflecting with platitudes or simply pretending the word “genocide” hasn’t been used.
The media, too, are largely failing to grasp the gravity of what B’Tselem has laid out.
No more excuses — the time to act is now
The UK’s government ministers cannot claim they did not know.
The facts are on the table.
The evidence is overwhelming.
The warning has come not from a political opponent of Israel but from within Israel’s own human rights community.
B’Tselem has done its job.
It has documented, verified, and exposed the facts.
Now it is our turn.
We must demand that the UK:
Immediately suspend all arms sales to Israel
Support international legal action, including South Africa’s ICJ case
Recognise the unfolding genocide, as acknowledged by B’Tselem, UN experts, and global human rights organisations
Apply sanctions and diplomatic consequences, not rewards
Stop shielding Israel from accountability and act as a genuine partner in upholding international law
Anything less is complicity.
So here’s what you can do to help stop the genocide — today.
1. Email your MP — demand action
Tell your MP you want the UK to:
Suspend arms exports to Israel immediately
Support the ICJ genocide case brought by South Africa
Call for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access to Gaza
Use this tool to find and email your MP in under 2 minutes:
👉 https://www.writetothem.com
Don’t wait. Make your voice heard — MPs count individual messages far more than social media posts.
2. Sign and Share Petitions
Add your name to campaigns demanding UK action:
Stop Arming Israel – Campaign Against Arms Trade
Ceasefire Now – Amnesty International
Genocide Case Support – Friends of Al-Aqsa
Then share them — publicly and privately.
3. Support independent reporting and legal work
Donate to groups fighting for justice:
B’Tselem
Forensic Architecture
Palestine Legal
Medical Aid for Palestinians
4. Break the silence
Talk about this — in your workplace, place of worship, union, school or social media.
Ask people: Have you seen the B’Tselem report? Do you realise this is genocide?
Don’t let this be buried.
The more people speak up, the more pressure there is to act.
5. Join a protest or organise one
Look for local Palestine solidarity events, marches, or vigils — or help organise one yourself through:
Palestine Solidarity Campaign
Stop the War Coalition
Mass mobilisation has stopped government policy before. It can again.
6. Refuse to be complicit
If your workplace, union, school, or institution is investing in companies linked to arms sales or Israeli occupation, speak up. Push for:
Divestment
Public statements
Ethical procurement policies
You can shift policies — if you start the conversation.
You are not powerless.
The UK’s silence helps make genocide possible. Your voice helps make it stop.
Use it – now.
The UK helped write the Genocide Convention. If we still believe in it, this is the time to prove it.
If not now, when?
Share this post:
you might also like
If British organisations worked with the Israeli embassy to achieve that country’s aims and not our own, what should we call it?
Here’s why people are afraid to denounce the genocidal brutality of the Israeli regime
Israeli prime minister demands support for racist apartheid law