For centuries, the Catholic Church has upheld the dignity and sanctity of every human life, calling the faithful to speak boldly against injustice. Today, we confront a grave moral crisis: two of Israel’s leading human-rights organizations—B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights — Israel —have, for the first time from within Israel, declared that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
B’Tselem, long a source of critical documentation of Israeli policies, stated that “an examination of Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip and its horrific outcomes … leads to the unequivocal conclusion that Israel is taking coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip.” They added, “In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip” (The Times of Israel, July 28, 2025).
PHRI echoed this conclusion in its report, citing the “deliberate and systematic dismantling of Gaza’s health and life-sustaining systems.” The report documents attacks on hospitals, denial of humanitarian aid, and the creation of starvation conditions as evidence of genocidal policy (Financial Times, July 28, 2025).
Over nearly 22 months of conflict since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, these groups have documented not only mass civilian deaths but the destruction of infrastructure essential to life. They argue that such destruction, when combined with inflammatory statements by Israeli officials, reveals a deeper intent. Yuli Novak, executive director of B’Tselem, stated, “This has been declared countless times by Israeli politicians … and this is precisely the definition of genocide” (Financial Times, July 28, 2025).
The international community is responding as well. The International Court of Justice is currently hearing a genocide case brought by South Africa and supported by nearly 100 nations. Holocaust historian Amos Goldberg stated, “What is happening in Gaza is a genocide because Gaza does not exist anymore” (Wikipedia, “Gaza genocide,” retrieved July 28, 2025).
Israel’s government has rejected the accusation as baseless. Officials maintain that the military campaign is directed solely at Hamas and that civilian casualties are the tragic result of urban warfare in which Hamas uses human shields. They insist that Israel operates within the bounds of international law and continues to facilitate humanitarian aid (Reuters, July 28, 2025).
But for Catholics, our concern is not merely political—it is moral. Our tradition calls us to protect the innocent, seek justice, and uphold human dignity. When credible voices from within Israel raise the alarm of genocide, we must listen.
Let us pray for peace, justice, and reconciliation. Let us act in solidarity with the suffering. And let us never grow weary of proclaiming the Gospel of life in a world so often shadowed by death.
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