In January 2024, South Africa initiated proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounted to genocide. In the months since, conditions in Gaza have grown increasingly dire.
In March, Israel violated a six-week ceasefire and resumed its assault on the besieged enclave. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble, families decimated, and access to food, water, and electricity remains critically limited. As the humanitarian crisis worsens, a global consensus is emerging. Heads of state, senior United Nations officials, and leading international jurists are increasingly characterising Israel’s conduct in Gaza as genocidal.
But what does that term actually mean under international law? And why is proving genocide so incredibly difficult, even in the face of overwhelming human suffering?
Reporting: presentation: Aaratrika Bhaumik
Video and editing: Tayyab Hussain
Published – July 31, 2025 07:18 pm IST
