Gaza Tribunal: Israel committing genocide against Palestinians
ISTANBUL
A landmark people's tribunal known as The Gaza Tribunal on Oct. 26 concluded Israel is committing genocide in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
The tribunal marks the first time that Israel's war in Gaza was publicly tried in what has been termed a "court of global conscience,” a forum established through a civil initiative intended to expose the international human rights violations and strengthen the pursuit of international justice.
Taking place at Istanbul University and chaired by former U.N. Special Rapporteur on Palestine Professor Richard Falk, the tribunal also featured legal assessments by international human rights experts evaluating the submitted evidence.
Releasing a conclusion after a series of sessions, the tribunal on Oct. 26 said that Israel is “commiting genocide against Gaza population under broad apartheid regime rooted in Zionist supremacist ideology.”
Using hunger as a weapon, denying medical care and forced displacement are tools of collective punishment and genocide against the entire population, the final statement declared.
It also said that Western governments, particularly the U.S., were complicit in Israel's genocide and, in some cases, they actively collaborated in it."
In its global declaration, the Gaza Tribunal's final session also called for the protection of the Palestinian people and support for them.
The four-day public tribunal, held from Oct. 23 to 26, gathered testimonies from survivors, journalists and legal experts to record human rights concerns in the Gaza Strip.
Representatives from Witness Eye, a media platform created by journalists to digitally archive testimonies from those living under conflict, emphasized the importance of preserving these records.
“Over the past two years, Witness Eye has collected testimonies and digital video evidence from over 100 people. We are honored to present these materials, which document reported incidents in Gaza,” a spokesperson said.
A representative of MAZLUMDER, the Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed, highlighted the role of eyewitness accounts in recording the crisis.
"We have observed events through the media, but here we are documenting them for the historical record. That is why we are presenting our reports to the tribunal," the spokesperson stated.
The International Jurists Union also submitted 13 detailed reports compiled over more than 700 days, documenting alleged violations affecting civilians, journalists and institutions in Gaza.
They emphasized the importance of international accountability, noting that the tribunal aims to examine reported violations under international law.
