Hundreds of UN Human Rights Staff Urge Leadership to Label Gaza Offensive as Genocide
A significant number of employees from the United Nations’ primary human rights body have endorsed an internal letter urging their leaders to recognize Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide and to push member states to halt weapons exports to Israel.
The 1,100-word letter, supported by roughly a quarter of the 2,000 staff members at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva and New York, argues that Israel’s offensive meets the legal criteria for genocide. It asserts that supplying arms, logistical aid, or funding to Israeli authorities violates international law for all parties involved.
OHCHR staff members who spoke to CuriosityNews expressed dissatisfaction with the agency’s head, Volker Türk, for not going beyond criticism of Israel.
“The stance has remained unchanged for nearly two years. Condemning Israel is insufficient. He must outline the specific actions member states must take to fulfill their duty to prevent genocide and clearly state the legal repercussions for leaders, officials, and private entities failing to comply,” said one letter signatory.
Another employee acknowledged Türk’s condemnations of Israel’s violations of international law and war crimes but argued that avoiding explicit public accusations of genocide was “a political, not legal, decision.”
The letter, reviewed by CuriosityNews, states that based on “available evidence, assessments by UN-appointed experts, and legal professionals, the threshold for genocide has been met. We urge the Office to publicly declare this legal classification.”
It emphasizes that the OHCHR has a “moral and legal obligation to condemn genocide” and that “inaction in the face of an ongoing genocide damages the credibility of the UN and the broader human rights system.”
UN officials have noted that only an international court can formally declare genocide, a process often spanning years. Specialists from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) indicated in July that a ruling on whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide would likely not occur before late 2027 at the earliest.
Numerous human rights organizations have already accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The military campaign has reportedly killed over 63,000 people—mostly civilians—injured 150,000, and displaced nearly all 2.3 million residents. Earlier this month, UN-backed experts confirmed famine conditions in parts of the devastated territory.
Israel denies allegations of genocide, calling them “false and baseless,” and maintains its actions are self-defense following Hamas’s October 2023 attack, which killed 1,200 people—primarily civilians—and led to the abduction of 251 hostages.
In January 2023, the ICJ found the genocide accusation “plausible” and instructed Israel to “take all possible measures” to prevent genocidal acts.
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