In response to the UK government stating Israel is not acting with any genocidal intent in Gaza, Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Manager, said:

“For the UK to conclude it does not assess there to be a risk of genocide in Gaza is a cynical misrepresentation of what the International Court of Justice ruled in 2024.

“The ruling issued by the ICJ ordered provisional measures requiring Israel to refrain from acts under the Genocide Convention and prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to genocide. This clearly indicates that, in the Court’s view, the survival of Palestinians in Gaza is at risk.

“For more than a year and a half Israel has patently ignored the ICJ’s orders, including to prevent the killing of Palestinians and to ensure the provision of aid. It is incomprehensible that the UK would not therefore recognise the risk of genocide in Gaza.

“All states – including the UK – have a clear legal obligation to do all in their power to prevent genocide.

"The UK should be long past the stage of assessing ‘risk’. Israel is committing genocide, and this is increasingly the consensus among international legal experts and human rights organisations.”

Genocide risk assessment

Amnesty International UK has asked the UK government for its own assessment on the risk of genocide in Gaza through a freedom of information request – the Government did not respond within the agreed time, and the issue has now being escalated to the Information Commissioner’s Office.