Introduction
In December 2024, Amnesty International’s research found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.
“Amnesty International’s report demonstrates that Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. These acts include killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical 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,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Earlier in March 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, found that based on its patterns and policies, there are reasonable grounds to believe the threshold indicating the commission of genocide by Israel has been met.
According to the Al Mezan for Human Rights in Gaza, between July 2023 and July 2025, more than 58,000 people have been killed, including 18,000 children, more than 139,000 have been wounded, and more than two million people have been forcibly displaced. More than 200 journalists and media workers and over 1,500 health workers have been killed.
Israeli Occupation forces (IOF) have bombed and destroyed civilian homes in residential neighbourhoods, civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, roads, electricity, water, and sewage networks and blocked access to humanitarian aid. For instance, the Israeli army has repeatedly attacked the Al Mawasi humanitarian zone and the World Central Kitchen, which delivers food to people. In what has now become known as the “flour massacre”, in February 2024 at least 112 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 wounded after Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) opened fire on hundreds waiting for food aid (flour) in the southwest of Gaza City. In June 2025, at least 400 Palestinians were killed while trying to get humanitarian aid.
Israeli occupation forces have engineered and implemented a systematic starvation policy over nearly 600 days of genocide. For instance, for 88 consecutive days, all border crossings were completely shut, blocking any essential aid from entering the Strip, in a campaign to deliberately starve the people of Gaza.
In addition, the IOF has also enforced a policy of arbitrary arrests and detention, as well as torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance of Palestinians from Gaza. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), all detainees have been detained under the “Incarceration of Unlawful Combatants Law,” which, amongst other things, allows mass arrests and indefinite detention of civilians without charge. In a report published in May 2025, the PCHR found torture forms an integral part of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, which includes brutal physical and psychological torture, including beatings, electrocution, suspension, sexual violence, extremely tight handcuffing and forced stress positions.
Despite a tentative ceasefire earlier in 2025, Israel’s genocide of Palestinians has not stopped. Furthermore, US President Donald Trump has announced plans to annex and expel Palestinians from Gaza.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued warrants of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.
Situation in the Occupied West Bank
Amid the genocide in Gaza, Israel has continued its seizure, raids, detentions, violence and killings against Palestinians in the Occupied West Bank. According to a report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), between 1st November 2023 and 31st October 2024, 601 Palestinians were killed by the IOF in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with a high prevalence of unlawful killings.
In a statement on 4th June 2025, Amnesty International said the IOF have deployed tanks, carried out air strikes, destroyed buildings, roads and infrastructure, and imposed extensive restrictions on freedom of movement through checkpoints and roadblocks. It noted that in 2025, Israel’s military operation had led to the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since the Nakba. In another statement, it also raised concern over the community of Shi’b Al-Butum in Masafer Yatta due to the imminent risk of forcible transfer as a result of increasing state-backed settler attacks, home demolitions, restrictions on access to land and illegal settlement expansion by the IOF.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, between 21st January 2025 and 4th June 2025, the IOF have killed at least 80 Palestinians, including 14 children, in the northern West Bank, including Nablus.
“These actions are part of a wider pattern of unlawful Israeli policies and practices to dispossess, dominate and oppress Palestinians in the West Bank under Israel’s ruthless system of apartheid,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty International’s Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns.
For instance, according to a statement by the PCHR, since 21 January 2025, the IOF continued their ground invasion into Jenin city, its refugee camp, west of the city, and the surrounding villages, killing several Palestinians. Dozens of families have been forcibly displaced from the Jenin refugee camp, while Israeli bulldozers have demolished houses and civilian facilities and set others ablaze. The Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has spearheaded the dispossession of Palestinians from their land and has plans to increase the settler population in the West Bank. As a result, the IOF have accelerated the seizure of Palestinian land and the establishment of new settlements and outposts.
Since the beginning of 2025, IOF and settlers have demolished 188 facilities, including 113 houses. The PCHR condemned the IOF’s escalating policy of house demolitions, forced displacement of residents, and destruction of Palestinian facilities in the West Bank. The IOF has also accelerated the destruction of Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
In addition, a report by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which carried out research on technology and surveillance in the West Bank, found that “Israel’s control in the West Bank has grown so entrenched that all Palestinians in the occupied territories are or could be under surveillance at any given moment.” It noted how the IOF monitors social media posts to track individuals and groups, including human rights activists and journalists.
Association
On 25th November 2024, the Israeli Ofer Military Court sentenced Palestinian human rights defender Sami Huraini to one month’s imprisonment, suspended for one year, on the charges of “assault of a soldier” and “obstruction of a soldier during duty.” Huraini was convicted in 2023 despite the 110 pieces of time-stamped video evidence and multiple witnesses supporting his innocence. Huraini is being persecuted for his role in organising a protest against Israeli army violence in 2021. Huraini works with the Popular Struggle Coordination Committee (PSCC) and the Youth of Sumud to peacefully resist the Israeli occupation and illegal Israeli settlements in Southern Hebron.
On 14th January 2025, the IOF released Palestinian woman human rights defender and lawyer Diala Ayesh from prison after being held for almost a year in administrative detention in Haifa, without any charges or trial. Ayesh works as a lawyer for Lawyers for Justice, a Palestinian non-governmental organisation that provides free legal aid and monitors human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She has dedicated her work to advocating for the freedom and fair treatment of Palestinian political prisoners.
On 27th December 2024, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, was detained by the IOF during its invasion of the hospital. On 9th January 2025, the Ashkelon Magistrates' Court extended his detention without charges until 13th February 2025. According to Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Abu Safiya has been subjected to torture and inhumane treatment. This includes being “forcibly stripped, handcuffed tightly, and forced to sit on sharp stones for approximately five hours” and being “subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings with electric shocks and batons, as well as repeated blows to his chest.” He was also subject to solitary confinement for 25 days and 10 days of interrogation. On 14th February 2025, his lawyer reported that Abu Safiya was detained under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which enables prolonged detention without charges, stripping detainees of any meaningful judicial review or due process rights. On 25th March 2025, a court upheld his detention for a further six months.
Criminalisation of humanitarian aid
On 1st June 2025, 12 humanitarians and activists – including Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and climate activist Greta Thunberg departed on the Madleen, a vessel launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), toward Gaza, Palestine, aiming to challenge Israel’s unlawful blockade of the territory. The mission was initiated in response to the complete shutdown of aid access since 2nd March 2025, which has led to the death by starvation of dozens of children. The vessel was carrying essential aid, including medicine, food, and infant supplies, destined for a Palestinian population subjected to an illegal blockade and ongoing genocide. On 2nd June 2025, UN experts expressed serious concern for the safety of participants in the Freedom Flotilla, given Israel’s repeated violent attacks on HRDs and UN and civilian humanitarian missions. The Coalition sent a similar ship in early May, which was bombed by a drone off the coast of Malta.
On 8th June, Israel intercepted the vessel nearly 185 km outside of Gaza in international waters. Four activists, including Greta Thunberg, were deported back to Europe, while the remaining ones who refused to consent to their deportation are in an Israeli detention centre. Amongst those detained were French journalists Yanis Mhamdi, from the independent media outlet Blast, and Omar Faiad, a reporter for Al Jazeera.
Peaceful Assembly
Since 25th March 2025, residents of Beit Lahia, North Gaza, organised multiple marches demanding an end to Israel’s genocide and unlawful displacement. During these mobilisations, protesters criticised the Hamas-led authorities in Gaza, with some people calling for an end to Hamas’ rule. Smaller protests have also taken place in Jabalia refugee camp, Shuja’iya and Khan Younis, where protesters also chanted slogans against specific Hamas leaders. According to Amnesty International, those who have been engaged in protests have faced intimidation and harassment, including interrogations and beatings by Hamas-run security forces.
“The Hamas authorities must immediately cease all repressive measures against Palestinians who are bravely and openly expressing their opposition to Hamas practices in Gaza. Reports of beatings, threats, and interrogations are extremely alarming and constitute serious violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy and Campaigns at Amnesty International.”
AI documented how protesters were summoned for interrogation without following formal procedures, beaten with sticks, and, in some cases, threatened that they would be shot. Others are fearful of facing repression. Seven protesters reported that they were labelled as “traitors” by security forces in plain clothes, accusing them of collaborating with Mossad [Israeli intelligence agency], who approached them after the protests, or during interrogation.
Expression
Censorship on Social Media
A May 2025 report by 7amleh- The Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media- revealed how big tech platforms, such as Google, Meta, PayPal, Microsoft and LinkedIn, and Cisco, attempt to erase expression about, or support for, Palestine and Palestinian rights. For instance, Microsoft implemented a change to its internal email system blocking messages with the word “Palestine”, “Gaza”, or “Genocide” in the subject line. Initial reporting suggests that no such blocker is in place for “Israel”, showing concerning signs of a discriminatory, anti-Palestinian bias.
7amleh expressed concerns over Meta’s new content moderation policies, which include replacing fact-checkers with a community notes feature (a feature introduced by X first) and reducing active moderation for less severe violations, focusing instead on user-reported content while maintaining automated systems for tackling high-severity violations. In a statement, it highlighted how such changes will disproportionately impact Palestinian rights and the Palestinian people.
“While free expression is vital and must be upheld, Meta’s updates must prioritise protecting Palestinians as they are the most negatively affected group by its discriminatory policies. Without clear safeguards against incitement and systematic bias, these changes could usher in a more dangerous online environment for Palestinians, making it harder for them to exercise their rights to free speech and access to information.”
There were several instances of censorship of journalists or media outlets on Meta platforms. For instance, the Facebook Page of "Al-Balad Radio" and another page belonging to journalist Ward Shalbak were blocked following their numerous reports related to Gaza. Meta suspended the account of journalist Mohammed Abed, a reporter for Quds News Network, citing violations of community standards. On the other hand, Instagram deleted the account of journalist Hafez Sabra, a reporter for Roya TV, which had more than 130,000 followers. Meta permanently closed the account of Al Jazeera reporter Anas Al-Sharif, who has approximately 1,200,000 followers.
In December 2024, several university students at the Palestine Polytechnic University in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron were detained after their accommodation was raided by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Among those arrested were two students from Jenin, one from Nablus and two others who had filmed the incident, and some of the detainees were assaulted during the raid. This comes after the Islamic Bloc, a student group active in West Bank universities, criticised the PA's security coordination with Israel in a military campaign against Palestinian fighters in the Jenin camp, which began on 9th December. The governor of Hebron issued an order prohibiting public statements or actions that could "incite discord, disturb the public, or undermine public security" and warned that violation of the order could have legal consequences.
In addition, dozens of activists have been summoned, interrogated and beaten over social media posts criticising the PA operations in Jenin. Those who were detained were later released, and some were compelled to upload an apology video online.
Attacks and killing of journalists
In May 2025, over 140 media freedom groups, including Reporters without Borders (RSF) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), called for foreign journalists to be granted immediate, independent and unrestricted access to the Gaza Strip and to ensure the safety of journalists. Journalists are trapped, displaced, starved, defamed and targeted due to their work. They are forced to operate without shelter, equipment, medical care or even food, according to a CPJ report. Around 200 journalists have been killed since October 2023, around 43 while they were working, and those who continue to report on Israeli genocide, occupation and apartheid, are at risk of being killed at any moment. RSF has repeatedly referred cases to the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging it to investigate alleged war crimes committed against journalists in Gaza by the Israeli army.
Several journalists have been attacked, detained and killed between September 2024 and April 2025, as reported by the Palestinian Centre for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA):
● In September 2024,148 violations were documented, of which 140 were carried out by the Israeli occupation forces, seven by the PA and one on social media platforms.
● In October 2024, 88 violations were documented, of which 76 were carried out by Israeli occupation forces, six by the PA and four on social media platforms.
● In November 2024, 72 violations were documented, of which 65 were carried out by Israeli occupation forces, four by the PA, one on social media platforms and two by other authorities.
● In December 2024, 103 violations were documented, of which 71 were carried out by Israeli occupation forces, 31 by the PA, and one on social media platforms.
● In January 2025, 102 violations were documented, of which 82 were carried out by the Israeli occupation forces, 18 by the PA, and two on social media platforms.
● In February 2025, 63 violations were documented, of which 55 were carried out by the Israeli occupation forces, 5 by the PA, one on social media platforms and two by other entities.
● In March 2025, 99 violations were documented, of which 98 were carried out by the Israeli occupation forces and one by other entities.
● In April 2025, 76 violations were documented, of which 73 were carried out by the Israeli occupation forces and three by the PA.
The PCHR estimates that at least three journalists are killed every week. For instance, on 26th December 2024, an Israeli drone struck a white broadcast van for Al-Quds Channel parked near the administrative building of al-‘Awda Hospital to the south in Al-Nussairat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The van was marked “press”.
“Israel, by targeting journalists, aims to monopolise the narrative and orchestrate a media blackout to prevent the world from seeing the atrocities committed against the Palestinian people at a time Israel is denying international journalists access to Gaza to cover the genocide. All of this is part of a full-blown genocidal campaign and other international crimes, by which Israel is attempting to entrench a second Nakba against 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip for over a year.”- Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR).
In addition to attacks on journalists in the Gaza Strip, Article 19 raised concerns over the intensified arbitrary detentions and physical attacks on journalists in the West Bank during January and February 2025 in light of increasing Israeli military operations. For example, on 9th February 2025, an Al-Araby TV crew, a Wafa Agency correspondent, and an Al-Quds newspaper reporter, along with freelance journalists, reportedly came under live fire while covering the ongoing demolitions in Jenin refugee camp. On 31st January 2025, freelance journalist Raghad Salameh was detained for interrogation while entering the Tulkarm refugee camp. On 22nd January 2025, Israeli forces reportedly deliberately drove bulldozers toward the Roya crew in Jenin in an apparent act of intimidation. On the same day, a Palestine TV crew was detained and expelled while covering a military raid in Jenin.
On 24th March 2025, Palestinian documentary film director Hamdan Ballal was assaulted by Israeli settlers and arrested by the IOF in the occupied West Bank. Ballal is one of four co-directors of “No Other Land”, which won the best documentary Academy Award in 2025 for its portrayal of efforts by Palestinians to stop the IOF from demolishing their homes in the Masafer Yatta area, south of Hebron. In February 2024, Yuval Abraham, an Israeli co-director of “No Other Land”, and his family received death threats following his acceptance speech at the Berlin International Film Festival. Palestinian co-director Basel Adra was also attacked by masked Israeli settlers.
The IOF has restricted the movement of journalists or blocked their access to certain places, making it more difficult to carry out their work. For example, on 9 February 2025, reporter Seif Qawasmi was reportedly banned from Al-Aqsa Mosque for a week over alleged ‘incitement’. In addition, the Al-Araby TV crew faced threats and violence and were reportedly prevented from covering the displacement of Jenin residents, as authorities threatened to seize their equipment.
In addition, Article 19 also raised concerns over Palestinian journalism student Shatha Al-Sabbagh, who was killed in the Jenin refugee camp in December 2024 during an ongoing security operation. Her family has accused the Palestinian Authority of being responsible for the shooting, a claim denied by Palestinian security forces.
Crackdown on Al Jazeera
In September 2024, Israeli authorities raided and shut down Al Jazeera’s offices in Ramallah, after a court order authorised its closure for 45 days. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Israeli troops began confiscating documents and equipment in the bureau and accused the outlet of “incitement to and support of terrorism.” In January 2025, the closure was extended for another 60 days. In October 2024, the IOF published a series of documents that accused six Al-Jazeera journalists of belonging to the military branches of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine. In a statement, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it was appalled by the accusations.
“This is clear retaliation for Al-Jazeera’s sustained reporting on the war in Gaza, while Israeli authorities have worked to systematically eliminate journalists and journalism in Gaza and the surrounding areas. These six reporters are now at high risk of being targeted and need urgent protection. With more than 140 journalists already killed since the start of the war, every remaining voice now plays an increasingly vital role in showing the world what is happening in Gaza. The targeted killing of journalists is a war crime – this violence must immediately stop,” Rebecca Vincent, Director of Campaigns, RSF.
In March 2025, Al-Jazeera correspondent Hossam Shabat, who appeared on the list, was killed when an Israeli military drone targeted his vehicle in the northern city of Beit Lahya. Other Al Jazeera journalists who were killed by the IOF include Ismail al-Ghoul, Hamza al-Dahdouh and Mustafa Thuraya.
In another crackdown on Al-Jazeera, in January 2025, the PA issued a directive to suspend and freeze all operations of Al Jazeera, citing alleged legal violations. It is reported that the decision came after Al Jazeera “insisted on broadcasting inciting materials and misleading reports that provoke strife and interfere in Palestinian internal affairs.” This was followed by a court ruling prohibiting local service providers in the occupied West Bank from broadcasting Al Jazeera. Additionally, several websites affiliated with the Al Jazeera network were blocked by an order from the Attorney General. Earlier on 24th December 2024, the Fatah Movement- Jenin Branch issued a statement banning Al Jazeera from entering the city, under the pretext of “provoking unrest and internal fighting.” This comes following tensions in the Jenin Refugee camp (see above).
Raid on bookstore in Occupied East Jerusalem
On 9th Feburary 2025, the IOF raided an educational bookstore in Occupied East Jerusalem, damaging and confiscating books and newspapers related to the study of Israel-Palestine and arrested the store owners. According to information available, the raid was conducted due to suspicion of incitement offences and the request for extended detention was based on a suspicion of disturbing the public peace. In its statement, the ARCI said:
“The police raid on the store and the arrest of its owners is in this case a particularly extreme example of the misuse and illegal application of enforcement powers to restrict freedom of expression, creating a widespread chilling effect on legitimate and legal expressions.”
It added that the arrest and investigation of the bookstore’s owners cannot be separated from the unprecedented number of investigations and arrests of Palestinians.