UN rapporteur says Israel committing 'settler-colonial genocide' against Palestinians, urges immediate intervention

The UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine released a report on Monday accusing Israel of carrying out a systematic campaign of forced displacement, destruction, and genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

In her report to the UN General Assembly, Francesca Albanese described the "long-term, deliberate, state-led displacement and replacement" of Palestinians, especially following the beginning of the war in the Gaza in October 2023.

The report emphasised "genocidal intent" as part of Israel's decades-long strategy of territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing aimed at eradicating the Palestinian presence from their homeland.

"The violence that Israel has unleashed against the Palestinians post-7 October is not happening in a vacuum, but is part of a long-term intentional, systematic, state-organised forced displacement and replacement of the Palestinians," the report said.

The report also accused Israel of hindering international investigation efforts by blocking entry for fact-finding teams from the UN and the International Criminal Court.

"The persistent denial of access to United Nations mechanisms and investigators of the International Criminal Court (ICC) may constitute obstruction of justice, in defiance of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order that Israel allow international investigators to enter Gaza and take measures to ensure the preservation of evidence," it said.

The report noted that the ongoing "genocide is doubtlessly the consequence of the exceptional status and protracted impunity that has been afforded to Israel".

"Israel has systematically and flagrantly violated international law, including (UN) Security Council resolutions and ICJ orders," it said. "This has emboldened the hubris of Israel and its defiance of international law."

"As the world watches the first live-streamed settler-colonial genocide, only justice can heal the wounds that political expedience has allowed to fester," she added.

My new report is out - available in all UN official languages: https://t.co/rOTHGuyAYl

Genocide is a complex and insidious crime; proving destructive intent is an onerous task - yet not when it is so ostentatious, sustained by a political doctrine of ideological hatred and… pic.twitter.com/rdUna6za7y

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) October 28, 2024

'Domicide' in Gaza

The report highlighted the severe destruction across Gaza, drawing attention to "domicide" - the deliberate and systematic destruction of housing and infrastructure to make an area uninhabitable, and "ecocide" - the deliberate destruction of the natural environment.

It estimated there was around 40 million tons of debris, including unexploded ordnance and human remains, contaminating the environment.

Over 140 temporary waste sites and 340,000 tons of untreated sewage overflow now pose health risks, contributing to outbreaks of hepatitis A, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and skin diseases.

"As Israeli leaders promised, Gaza has been made unfit for human life," the report said, drawing attention to Israeli-imposed restrictions on the import of essential resources like food, water, and medical supplies.

"Systematic attacks on Gaza food sovereignty indicate an intent to destroy its population through starvation," it said, recalling Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s remarks in August stating that starving the entire Gaza population was "justified and moral".

Genocide risk in occupied West Bank

The report warned that violence and systematic attacks were now extending beyond Gaza, heightening "serious concerns of genocidal risk" in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Since October 2023, Israeli forces are said to have carried out over 5,500 raids in the West Bank, resulting in hundreds of Palestinian deaths and thousands of injuries, as well as the detention of at least 11,200 people.

Albanese highlighted that this escalation was driven by violent settlers, frequently backed by Israeli forces, describing these patterns as reflecting the severe destruction seen in Gaza.

She pointed to disturbing cases of Palestinian children being specifically targeted, with at least 169 children killed since October 2023, nearly 80 percent of whom suffered fatal shots to the head or torso.

"The devastation inflicted on Gaza is now metastasizing to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem," the report warned, noting that certain officials, such as Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, had openly endorsed harsh treatment and mass arrests of Palestinians, with 9,400 currently held in severe conditions.

Urgent intervention needed 

Albanese urged the international community to act decisively, saying "member states must intervene now to prevent new atrocities that will further scar human history."

She appealed to states to use all available political influence, including a full arms embargo and sanctions, to compel Israel to halt its assault on Palestinians, agree to a ceasefire, and completely withdraw from occupied Palestinian territories, in alignment with an ICJ advisory opinion issued on July 19.

She also called on states to formally label Israel as an "apartheid state and persistent violator of international law," while advocating for robust, independent investigations.

The rapporteur further urged states to ensure unrestricted humanitarian aid reaches Gaza and to secure full funding and protection for UNRWA.

Finally, she pressed the ICC Prosecutor to pursue an investigation into alleged genocide and apartheid crimes committed by Israel.

Despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, the Israeli military has continued a destructive offensive in Gaza since the cross-border attack by Hamas in October of last year.

Local health authorities report over 43,000 deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 101,100 injuries in the territory since the attacks began. The true death toll could be much higher because thousands of bodies are believed to be trapped under rubble.

The Israeli campaign has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza under an ongoing siege.

Israel faces a genocide case before the International Court of Justice due to its actions in Gaza.