Criticism from within

TWO prominent Israeli rights groups have said their country is committing genocide in Gaza, the first time that local Jewish-led organisations have made such accusations against Israel during nearly 22 months of war.

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The claims by B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI) add to an explosive debate over whether Israel's military offensive in Gaza - launched in response to Hamas's deadly attack on October 7, 2023 amounts to genocide.

The Palestinians, their supporters and international human rights groups make that claim, and the International Court of Justice is hearing a genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel, but in Israel, founded in the wake of the Holocaust, even the government's strongest critics have largely refrained from making such accusations.