Israel faces genocide accusations over Gaza and Lebanon conflicts

Humanitarian groups and the United Nations have labeled Israel's war in Gaza a genocide, a diagnosis echoed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Médecins Sans Frontières and others. The conflict has displaced more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon since the Israel‑Hezbollah hostilities began on 2 March 2026, with reports of over 3,000 Lebanese deaths and extensive destruction of agricultural land and housing.

Historian Omer Bartov, a specialist on the Holocaust, has recently described the ongoing assault on Gaza as genocide in his new book. He argues that Israel can only become a “normal” state by abandoning Zionism, critiquing the country's apartheid‑like policies and the distortion of the “Never Again” slogan. Bartov calls for a re‑examination of Israel’s ideology and its impact on Palestinian civilians.