The United Nations in New York is set to hold a panel discussion on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza as the IDF conducts its military campaign to oust Hamas from the enclave.
The event titled “2023 War on Gaza: The responsibility to Prevent Genocide” was organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people.
It will be held concurrent to a UN General Assembly debate calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, in light of the high death toll, which Hamas has set at over 18,000 and the displacement of most of the enclave’s population of 2.3 million people. Israel has said that some 7,000 of those killed are Hamas terrorists.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe.
The UNGA resolution set for debate Tuesday, which is expected to pass, follows one the UNGA approved at the end of October with the support of 120 countries.
The United States has blocked the security council from issuing such a call, vetoing a vote on the matter earlier this month. The UNSC did approve a call for a pause to the war to the war last month.
UNGA calls for ceasefire
The UNGA ceasefire call and the one approved last month do not condemn Hamas for its October 7 infiltration of southern Israel and it killing of over 1,200 people and its seizure of some 250 people hostage.
Nor has it condemned Hamas’ statements that it would continue to execute such attacks is possible.
Similarly the panel exploring whether Israel is committing genocide in its war against Hamas, which has placed its weapons and command centers in civilian locations, made no mention in its promotional material of the Hamas attack, as it focused only on the IDF military campaign.
“The panel discussion will examine the legal implications of Israel’s military offensive against the Gaza Strip since 7 October and shed light on the applicability of key legal frameworks including those that define genocide,” the Committee on the Exercise of Inalienable Rights, as it described the event.