On Sunday, October 26, 2025, the final session of the Gaza Tribunal convened at Istanbul University, culminating in a resounding indictment of Israel and its principal backers, notably the United States and Germany, for what experts, witnesses, and a Jury of Conscience described as a systematic, technologically advanced campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The four-day proceedings, chaired by Professor Richard Falk—former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories—brought together survivors, medical professionals, legal scholars, and human rights advocates to present a sweeping archive of evidence and testimony.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Tribunal’s deliberations were not simply a response to the events of October 7, 2023, or the latest escalation in violence. Instead, its findings framed the current crisis as the latest stage in a century-long process of dehumanization and erasure of Palestinians—a process that, the Tribunal argued, began with British imperial ambitions and the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which set the stage for the creation of Israel as a settler colonial project. The Tribunal emphasized that before World War I, Palestinian Muslims, Christians, and Jewish Arabs lived as equal citizens in the Ottoman Empire, with no history of intercommunal strife. Zionism, the experts noted, was not an ideology of the native Jewish minority but was imported and imposed through European colonial expansion.
Professor Christine Chinkin, head of the Tribunal’s jury, formally read out the conclusions, stressing the urgent need for accountability and global action. "Genocide in Gaza is the concern of all humanity," she declared. "When states are silent, civil society can and must speak out." Chinkin underscored that the Tribunal’s work was grounded in international legal standards, referencing the Genocide Convention, human rights treaties, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The Tribunal also reaffirmed the Sarajevo Declaration adopted in May 2025, which calls for international solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The Tribunal’s findings were comprehensive and unflinching. Crimes detailed included starvation and famine through the deliberate denial of food and water, domicide (the targeted destruction of homes and infrastructure), ecoside (the ruination of land, water, and air quality), reprocide (the targeting of reproductive health), and scholasticide (the destruction of educational and intellectual institutions). The jury highlighted the systematic destruction of healthcare facilities and the targeting of medical personnel—violations that have become tragically routine under occupation. Journalists attempting to document the genocide, the Tribunal found, were systematically targeted, arrested, or killed.
The evidence presented included oral and written testimonies from survivors, research papers, and analytical reports. Personal accounts painted a harrowing picture of the physical and psychological suffering endured by Palestinians, providing the foundation for the Tribunal’s damning conclusions. The destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, cultural and religious sites, agricultural land, and vital ecosystems, as well as the use of hunger, denial of medical care, and forced displacement, were described as deliberate instruments of collective punishment and genocide—not collateral damage, as often claimed by Israeli officials.
According to the Tribunal, Israel’s actions are part of an internal logic of settler colonialism that relies on the expulsion and erasure of the indigenous Palestinian population. This logic, the Tribunal argued, is perpetuated through propaganda, such as the oft-repeated claim that "Palestine is a land without people promised to a people without land"—a myth that the Tribunal unequivocally rejected. The systematic weakening and annihilation of the victim population, denial of their right to self-defense, and presentation of mass destruction in Gaza as necessary for state security were identified as core components of this genocidal process.
The Tribunal also condemned the "Judaization" of Palestine, citing Israel’s use of archaeology to erase the history of indigenous Arab communities and the destruction of Palestinian educational and cultural institutions. This, the jury argued, is a strategy designed not only to erase memory but to build a new narrative on top of the ruins of Palestinian society. The targeting of universities, libraries, archives, intellectuals, and journalists—what the Tribunal termed "scholasticide"—was contrasted with ongoing Western support for Israeli academic institutions, exposing what participants described as a profound moral hypocrisy.
Western governments, particularly the United States and its allies, were found complicit through the provision of weapons, intelligence, military support, and economic relations. The Tribunal was especially critical of the failure of international institutions—including the United Nations—to prevent or punish atrocities, while commending the work of UN Human Rights Council special rapporteurs such as Francesca Albanese. Non-state actors, including media outlets, academic institutions, and technology companies, were also implicated for enabling Israeli military operations and shaping public narratives that obscure the deliberate nature of Palestinian suffering.
The Tribunal’s conclusions extended beyond legal definitions, delving into the intellectual and ideological roots of genocide. One of the most controversial findings was the weaponization of the theory of Holocaust uniqueness by Israel and its supporters, particularly Germany, to silence criticism and justify current atrocities. The Tribunal noted that most genocide scholars reject the notion that the Holocaust was a singularly unique evil, emphasizing instead the similarities between the Holocaust, the 1948 Naqba, and other forms of colonial violence. By conflating the Jewish religion with the Israeli state and Zionism, pro-Israeli governments have, according to the Tribunal, stifled legitimate critique by labeling it as antisemitic.
The Tribunal also rejected the framing of the Gaza conflict as a "clash of civilizations" or a battle between Islam and Judaism, instead identifying such language as a continuation of colonial ideologies that dehumanize victims and minimize their suffering. As articulated by the Tribunal, the struggle is against the ideology of Zionism and its supremacist system—not against Jews or Judaism. Justice, the jury concluded, must be rooted in equality, decolonization, restitution, and the right of return for Palestinians.
Among its recommendations, the Tribunal called for ending impunity and ensuring accountability for all perpetrators, supporters, and enablers of the genocide. It urged the suspension of Israel from international organizations and the activation of UN General Assembly Resolution 377 A(V) to adopt protective measures, given the Security Council’s inaction. The right of Palestinians to self-determination, resistance to displacement, and the sustenance of their communities in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and refugee camps was strongly affirmed.
In his closing remarks, Professor Richard Falk paid tribute to the resilience of Palestinians in Gaza and in exile, stating, "Every member of the human family has a stake in Palestinian justice." He warned that allowing the perpetrators to escape accountability would mean the world has "ratified one of the worst atrocities in history." Falk emphasized that the Tribunal’s work must continue beyond Istanbul, with the aim of preserving evidence, upholding the rights of Palestinians, and securing justice.
The Gaza Tribunal, with its detailed documentation and moral indictment, stands as a stark reminder of the ongoing global failure to prevent and punish genocide, despite the promises made with the adoption of the UN Genocide Convention in 1948. Its proceedings have challenged prevailing narratives, exposed complicity, and called for a renewed commitment to justice and humanity in the face of one of the most pressing crises of the 21st century.
