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A new investigation carried out by the leading rights group Amnesty International has concluded that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which it has been bombarding for over a year.

A report published by the group, entitled 'You Feel Like You Are Subhuman: Israel's Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza', uses evidence compiled to document how Israel was committing grave atrocities in the besieged enclave.

The report demonstrates how Israel carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.

It notes that acts in violation of international laws includeÌýkilling, mental or bodily harm and intentionally inflicting Palestinians with conditions that would ensure their destruction.

"Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them," Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International said in a statement.

Callamard stressed that the group's findings must result in ending the war on the besieged enclave and serve as a wake-up call to the international community.

Evidence of genocide

Amnesty International said they had analysed the overall pattern of Israeli actions in Gaza, including reviewing genocidal statements by Israeli officials.

The group found that Israel had failed to lawfully target Hamas fighters like they said they would, instead harming and killing civilians as well as blocking essential aid into the strip.

It also asserted that Israel had failed to take precautions to spare civilians when allegedly targeting Hamas members and had carried outÌýdisproportionate and indiscriminate attacks.

The probe found that Israel had carried outÌýmultiple crimes under international law, adding that at least 102 statements issued by the Israeli government or military had dehumanised Palestinians, called or justified genocidal acts or other crimes against them. Ìý

It also found that many of Israel's attacks on Gaza had no military objective, citing the results of its investigations into 15 strikes carried out between 7 October 2023 and 20 April 2024, which killed at least 334 civilians, including 141 children.

Some airstrikes killed several generations at once, including an attack on 20 April 2024 which killed three generations of the Abdelal family in eastern Rafah.

Amnesty said the attacks were "conducted in ways designed to cause a very high number of fatalities and injuries among the civilian population".

Conditions to bring about destruction

The investigation also found that Israel had deliberatelyÌýimposedÌýdifficult conditions in Gaza which led to physical harm and destruction.

This was carried out by intentionally damaging infrastructure, limiting the entry of aid to cause starvation, repeatedly forcing displacement, denying the entry of emergency aid and targeting hospitals.

At the start of the war on Gaza, Israel cut off all electricity, water, food and fuel from the strip and obstructed humanitarian access.

"This, combined with the extensive damage to Gaza’s homes, hospitals, water and sanitation facilities and agricultural land, and mass forced displacement, caused catastrophic levels of hunger and led to the spread of diseases at alarming rates," the report said, highlighting Israel was also ignoring opportunities to improve conditions.

'Shameful failure'

Callamard said the international community's feeble attempts to end the war a "shameful failure", adding that calls for a ceasefire were delayed and countries had continued to transfer arms to Israel.

"Governments must stop pretending they are powerless to end this genocide, which was enabled by decades of impunity for Israel’s violations of international law," she said.

"We are calling on the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to urgently consider adding genocide to the list of crimes it is investigating and for all states to use every legal avenue to bring perpetrators to justice. No one should be allowed to commit genocide and remain unpunished" Callamard added.

Amnesty has called for the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions against Israeli and Hamas officials most implicated in crimes under international law.Ìý

Israel's war on Gaza has killed 44,532 Palestinians and wounded 105,538 since 7 October 2023.