Which countries officially declared Israel is committing genocide and when (include dates)?
Executive summary
Multiple states, international bodies and major rights organizations have publicly concluded or stated that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza at different times. Key institutional findings include: South Africa’s ICJ case alleging genocide was filed in December 2023 [1], Amnesty and two Israeli human‑rights groups published conclusions in mid‑2025 (Amnesty: July 30, 2025) that Israel is committing genocide [2], and a UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry reported its conclusion on 16–17 September 2025 that Israeli authorities “committed and are continuing to commit genocide” in Gaza [3] [4].
1. Who has formally accused Israel of genocide — court filings and UN bodies
The clearest formal legal step was South Africa’s filing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December 2023, which accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention — a state‑to‑state legal claim rather than a final judicial finding [1]. Separately, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry — appointed by the Human Rights Council — published a report in mid‑September 2025 concluding that Israeli authorities and security forces committed genocide in Gaza, urging states to act under the Genocide Convention; that report was made public around 16–17 September 2025 [3] [4].
2. National governments and official declarations — varied and regionally clustered
Available sources list a number of national governments and parliaments that have described Israel’s conduct as genocide or have declared it so in public statements or votes; examples cited across reporting and aggregated summaries include countries in Africa, Latin America, the Islamic world and parts of Europe such as Ghana, Turkey, Malaysia, Egypt, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia [5]. The specific dates of each government’s declaration are not detailed in the sources provided; Wikipedia’s summary names these states but does not give precise declaration dates in the excerpts available [5]. Therefore: specific official declaration dates by each listed state are not found in current reporting excerpts you supplied.
3. Human‑rights organizations and scholarly bodies — dates and impact
Two prominent Israeli organizations — B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel — published reports concluding Israel is committing genocide; Amnesty International publicly amplified those conclusions and published a related statement on 30 July 2025 calling for urgent state action [2]. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), described as the leading professional association of genocide scholars, adopted a declaration on 1 September 2025 stating Israel is committing genocide in Gaza [6] [7]. Amnesty also repeated and reinforced the UN commission’s September 2025 findings in its 17 September 2025 response [8].
4. What these labels mean legally and politically
Human‑rights groups, scholarly associations and UN experts can and have used the term “genocide” based on their investigations; however, multiple sources note that the legal determination under the Genocide Convention is the province of competent courts — the UN and many Western governments note that only a court can definitively declare genocide under international law [9] [7]. The ICJ is adjudicating South Africa’s December 2023 application, but a final judicial finding requires protracted proceedings [1].
5. Competing viewpoints and official Israeli responses
Israeli authorities have strongly rejected allegations of genocide. Reporting records Israeli denials and calls the findings “baseless” or “fabricated,” and Israeli officials have framed their campaign as self‑defence against Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks; Israeli spokespeople have disputed the research and argued the state itself is a victim [6] [9]. Some commentators and analysts also dispute that evidence proves genocidal intent, arguing military necessity and efforts to protect infrastructure contradict that intent — these counterarguments appear in expert commentary summarized by sources [5].
6. Limits of the available sources and what’s not here
The supplied material documents key dates: South Africa’s ICJ filing (December 2023) [1], Amnesty and Israeli NGOs’ genocide determinations (July 2025) [2], IAGS’s declaration (1 September 2025) [6], and the UN Commission’s report released mid‑September 2025 (16–17 September 2025) [3] [4]. Precise calendar dates for each national government listed on aggregations (e.g., Ghana, Brazil, Spain, Ireland, etc.) are not specified in the provided excerpts — available sources do not mention the exact dates for those countries’ formal declarations in the material you gave me [5].
7. What to watch next and why it matters
These declarations and legal moves carry diplomatic and practical consequences: they increase pressure on states to reconsider arms transfers, can lead to arrest warrants or sanctions (examples are reported later in timelines), and shape the ICJ proceedings and potential criminal investigations; Amnesty urged states to halt arms and security transfers after the UN commission’s report [8]. The legal process at the ICJ and any criminal prosecutions will take months to years, and final determinations remain in judicial, not purely political, hands [1] [9].
If you want, I can compile a state‑by‑state table of the specific governments named in summaries and then search each source for exact dates and official statements — the current set of excerpts lacks many of those precise timestamps [5].