Seventy-five retired senior military leaders and legal experts rejected accusations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, arguing in an open letter released by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America that Israel’s conduct does not meet the legal definition of genocide. The letter, issued in Washington, DC, on the third anniversary of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, said genocide requires evidence of an intention to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group in whole or in part. The signatories maintained that Israel neither intended to destroy nor destroyed Palestinians as a group in Gaza.
They also challenged arguments based primarily on Gaza casualty figures, saying genocide is not determined by the number of deaths. The letter questioned figures issued by Hamas, noting that they do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
According to the signatories, civilian deaths during combat are not sufficient on their own to establish genocidal intent. Many of those signing the letter commanded US forces against enemies operating among civilian populations, they said.