Gaza, 16 September 2025 – Al Mezan welcomes the new report released today by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, which found that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Gaza, and that Israeli leadership, on both the political and military level, have demonstrated specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinian people as such. The findings in the Commission of Inquiry's report echoes what Palestinian civil society has been warning of since 13 October 2023, and the conclusions of reports by prominent international human rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, as well as Israeli human rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights – Israel.

Reacting to the report, Al Mezan's Director, Issam Younis, said:

We are particularly encouraged by the Commission’s recognition of the scale of the genocide in Gaza, including what we at Al Mezan have identified as ecocide. Israel's relentless bombing of Gaza is making it uninhabitable, because toxic debris poses serious health risks to Palestinians and the destruction of agricultural land has compounded Gaza's extreme food scarcity and famine, and toxic explosive debris poses serious health risks to Palestinians.

Al Mezan welcomes the conclusions brought forth by the Commission on serious bodily harm cause by the overwhelming damage to Gaza's environment. Al Mezan previously warned in detail of the ecocide resulting from Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The environmental consequences and serious health hazards caused by Israel's relentless use of explosive in Gaza are leaving behind toxic chemicals and immense amounts of debris, causing high levels of cement dust, smoke, and ash. These pose serious long term health risks to people's respiratory systems and make the land uninhabitable. Al Mezan welcomes the Commission's findings that environmental destruction constitutes serious harm, in addition to that caused by attacks against Palestinians, constant evacuation orders, mistreatment, including sexual and gender-based violence, during detention.

Al Mezan equally welcomes the Commission's analysis of the responsibility of Third States to prevent and punish Israel's genocide. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice highlighted the high risk of genocide in Gaza to States Parties to the Genocide Convention, triggering their legal obligation to act to prevent genocide. Al Mezan notes that since the ICJ's first provisional measures in January 2024, Israel has actively applauded and endorsed the genocide in Gaza and little has been done by Third States to prevent genocide in Gaza. Despite the calls to action by Palestinian civil society organisations since October 2023, Third States have stayed silent and even enabled Israel's genocide in Gaza through arms transfers, diplomatic engagement, and attempts to silence Palestinian human rights organisations exposing and documenting Israel's genocide, such as Al Mezan.

Highlighting the responsibility of Third States, Mr. Younis stated:

The genocide in Gaza is more than a legal failure of the post World War II international order, it is a moral catastrophe of the highest order. As the Commission has indicated, Third States have been notified of their moral and legal responsibility to take all available action to stop this genocide since the ICJ's provisional measures of January 2024. This report makes it clear that urgent and concrete action from the international community, beyond statements and words of concern, are long overdue.

Al Mezan echoes the recommendations made by the Commission of Inquiry concluding the report. Israel immediately must end its relentless and inhumane campaign of genocide and famine against Palestinians in Gaza and restore established humanitarian aid mechanism by UN agencies and trusted NGO partners. All states party to the Genocide Convention must take all accessible action to prevent the continuation of the genocide in Gaza, including by imposing arms embargoes on Israel. Al Mezan also calls on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the Commission of Inquiry to enter Gaza and conduct a comprehensive on the ground investigation into the ongoing genocide.

Further Reading:

Legal analysis of the conduct of Israel in Gaza pursuant to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, September 2025

Ecocide: Israel’s Deliberate and Systematic Environmental Destruction in Gaza, Al Mezan, October 2024