A Pause in Killing Is Not an End to Genocide: Justice Is the Only Path to Peace

Statement of the Hind Rajab Foundation – Brussels, 9 October 2025

The Hind Rajab Foundation welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire agreement as a hopeful and necessary pause in the ongoing mass killing in the Gaza Strip. Any cessation of active hostilities that spares civilian lives is to be welcomed. However, it must be stated unequivocally that the genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza has not ended. The mere suspension of military operations does not terminate a genocidal process that is both material and structural in nature.

Under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, genocide is defined not only as killing members of a group, but also as causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, imposing measures intended to prevent births, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The current situation in Gaza continues to satisfy several of these elements.

The total blockade imposed on the population remains in effect, with continued restrictions on fuel, food, water, medical supplies, and humanitarian relief. The deliberate creation of conditions that render civilian life unsustainable falls squarely within Article II(c) of the Genocide Convention: “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction.” Reports from United Nations agencies and humanitarian organizations indicate that acute malnutrition, disease, and lack of access to healthcare are widespread and worsening. Such deprivation, imposed collectively and intentionally, constitutes an ongoing genocidal act.

Moreover, the extensive and systematic destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure—homes, hospitals, schools, water and energy systems—has rendered large parts of the territory uninhabitable. Over 1.8 million people remain displaced without access to adequate shelter or basic services. Reconstruction is rendered impossible under blockade. The annihilation of the conditions necessary for civilian survival, coupled with statements of intent from senior Israeli officials expressing the objective of eliminating Gaza or its inhabitants, demonstrates the continuation of genocidal conduct and intent, as defined under Article II of the Convention and affirmed by international jurisprudence.

Genocidal intent, the distinguishing element of this crime, is evidenced through both direct and circumstantial indicators. The public statements of state officials, the scale and systematic nature of the destruction, the targeting of essential infrastructure, and the pattern of deprivation imposed upon the civilian population collectively establish a reasonable basis to conclude that the crime of genocide continues, irrespective of any ceasefire or withdrawal of forces. A cessation of active hostilities does not extinguish responsibility under international law when the conditions calculated to destroy a protected group remain deliberately in place.

Furthermore, impunity for grave crimes sustains their commission. The absence of prosecution and accountability perpetuates the crime of genocide both legally and practically. It is therefore imperative that states parties to the Genocide Convention fulfill their erga omnes obligations to prevent and punish genocide by ensuring that perpetrators—whether political, military, or auxiliary—are brought before competent judicial bodies, including national courts and the International Criminal Court.

The Hind Rajab Foundation reaffirms its unambiguous commitment to pursue criminal accountability for Israeli war criminals at all levels, from those who planned and ordered operations to those who executed them, as well as all accomplices and accessories, including foreign nationals who have participated in, financed, or facilitated these crimes. Crimes against humanity and genocide are imprescriptible under international law. The atrocities committed in Gaza represent only a fraction of the broader and continuing pattern of genocidal policy that must be exposed and adjudicated.

The Foundation therefore calls upon all individuals, institutions, and states of conscience to intensify efforts for justice, to maintain mobilization for Gaza and for Palestine, and to ensure that this ceasefire is not mistaken for peace. Justice for Gaza cannot wait. The moral and legal duty to act persists until accountability is achieved, the blockade is lifted, and the Palestinian people can live freely and securely in their homeland.

The Hind Rajab Foundation
Brussels, 9 October 2025