As the war in Gaza entered its 721st day on September 26, 2025, the devastation and diplomatic fallout have reached new and dramatic heights. The conflict, which began in October 2023, has left a staggering toll: 65,502 Palestinians dead and 167,376 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. In the past 24 hours alone, 83 bodies and 216 wounded were brought to Gaza hospitals, underscoring the relentless pace of violence. Since Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas on March 18, 2025, at least 12,939 people have been killed and 55,335 wounded, with a grim subset—2,538 Palestinians—killed while seeking food aid, and 18,581 more injured in the same pursuit.
The scale of destruction and human suffering has drawn fierce international scrutiny. A United Nations-backed investigation has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, a charge that has reverberated through world capitals and the halls of the United Nations General Assembly. The Israeli ground offensive in Gaza City has coincided with a declared famine in parts of the territory, compounding an already dire humanitarian crisis. “We lost our children, our homes and our places,” lamented Najia Abu Amsha, whose nephew was killed while waiting for food aid. “We’ve become beggars and sick.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking to the UN General Assembly via videolink after being denied entry to the United States, pulled no punches. He called the situation a “war of genocide, destruction, starvation and displacement,” adding, “The genocide has been waged by the Israeli occupation forces in which they killed and injured more than 220,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are unarmed, children, women and the elderly.” Amnesty International echoed this sentiment, describing Israel’s actions as a “live-streamed genocide” with the “specific intent” of wiping out Palestinians. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently reviewing a case filed by South Africa in 2023, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now displaced, especially in the central and southern governorates like al-Mawasi, where makeshift tents line unsafe roads. The Government Media Office in Gaza reported, “There are no longer any empty or safe spaces to absorb more displaced people.” The Israeli military continues to block donated tents from entering Gaza, leaving many exposed to worsening weather. The office added, “This is a result of a systematic policy by Israel that is backed by the United States.”
On the military front, Israeli divisions—including the Etzioni Brigade and the 162nd, 98th, 36th, and 99th Divisions—have pressed deeper into Gaza. The army claims to have “attacked and killed dozens of terrorists” and destroyed significant infrastructure across Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City. Over the past 24 hours, Israeli warplanes launched more than 170 airstrikes, and medics reported at least 23 Palestinians killed and scores injured, including 11 people in a house strike in Al-Zawayda and four near the Jordanian Field Hospital in Khan Younis. Yet, the human cost is measured not just in casualties, but in the daily struggle for basic shelter. Displaced families, like that of Randa Musleh and her 11 children, now live in a cemetery in Khan Yunis, unable to afford the exorbitant rents demanded elsewhere. “We had no other choice,” Musleh told AFP, describing how she fled Beit Hanun and settled among tombstones because it was the only place she could find for free.
The international response has grown more intense and polarized. At the 80th United Nations General Assembly in late September 2025, a chorus of condemnation swept through the chamber. Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for military defense of Palestine, declaring, “If we must defend Palestine, then we must defend it militarily.” Chilean President Gabriel Boric went a step further, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be held accountable before international tribunals. South Africa reinforced its genocide accusation against Israel before the ICJ, while Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye described Gaza as “hell for thousands of souls of all ages trapped in an open-air prison.”
Even countries traditionally seen as mediators or neutral voices shifted their tone. Spain’s King Felipe VI placed unusual emphasis on Palestinian suffering, and France, while stopping short of using the term genocide, openly criticized Israel’s military campaign. Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini highlighted the “thin line between legitimate defense and unacceptable suffering,” and Indonesia acknowledged the need for security guarantees for Israelis as part of any solution. Before the Assembly convened, 142 countries had already recognized Palestine, reflecting years of diplomatic work by the Palestinian Authority to build legitimacy and delegitimize Israel, as noted by Mario Sznajder, professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Still, not all voices joined the condemnation. Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña defended Israel’s right to self-defense and rejected genocide accusations outright, stating, “Israel has the legitimate right to defend itself. The terrorist attacks on the 7th of October 2023 against Israeli civilians were grotesque acts of barbarity which no cause can justify.” Former U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed America’s commitment to Israel’s security and dismissed genocide accusations as slander. Switzerland, Uruguay, and others attempted to strike a balance, expressing concern for Gaza’s civilians while refusing to criminalize Israel’s actions. Europe remained deeply divided: Hungary stood firmly with Israel, Spain leaned pro-Palestinian, and most other EU states called for negotiations and an end to the war.
Diplomatic isolation of Israel is gathering steam. Slovenia, in September 2025, declared Prime Minister Netanyahu persona non grata, citing ongoing proceedings for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Slovenia’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Neva Grasic, clarified, “This measure is not directed against the Israeli people, but sends a clear message to the government of Israel that Slovenia expects full respect for the rulings of international courts and international humanitarian law.” Grasic referenced the July 2024 ICJ ruling, which found several Israeli policies violated humanitarian and human rights law, and a September 2025 UN Human Rights Council report that concluded Israel’s actions amounted to genocide—the first time the UN described Israel’s conduct in Gaza as genocidal. Slovenia had previously barred Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence and making “genocidal statements.”
The ramifications extend beyond diplomacy. European football body UEFA is reportedly moving toward a vote to suspend Israel from international competition over the genocide allegations, a move that could bar Israeli teams from upcoming World Cup qualifiers. For Israel, the implications reach far beyond the battlefield; this is a battle over legitimacy in the world’s most visible forum, where narratives harden into legal cases, trade embargoes, and the erosion of public support in Western societies.
As the war rages on, the question remains: will this wave of international condemnation fade with the conflict, or does it signal a structural realignment in how the world perceives Israel and the Palestinian struggle? For now, the people of Gaza continue to bear the brunt of the violence, their suffering amplified by a diplomatic storm that shows no signs of abating.
