Gaza genocide recognition

For a list of non-governmental humanitarian groups accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, see List of humanitarian groups accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.

The following is a list of official statements issued by national legislatures, heads of state or of government, and foreign ministries regarding the Gaza genocide.

Positions of national governments on whether Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza war

  Agree

  Disagree

  Unclear

  Defer to the ruling in the ICJ case South Africa v. Israel

  No data

List of states

Country positions on recognition of genocide

Country	Recognition of genocide	Statement	References
Afghanistan	Yes	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's actions as genocide.	[1][2]
Algeria	Yes	In a speech before the UN General Assembly, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune asked "[W]here is the global conscience that has become absent regarding the genocide being committed?"	[3][‡ 1]
Australia	Forthcoming	Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that "Israel will be judged in the international courts".	[5]
Bahrain	Yes		[‡ 1]
Bangladesh	Yes	Bangladesh backed South Africa's genocide case against Israel. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the Israeli bombardments on Gaza Strip for "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians and urged the international community to take immediate and effective step to implement an unconditional ceasefire, protect the lives of civilians, and deliver humanitarian aid; it also affirmed its support for Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.	[6][7][‡ 1]
Belgium	Forthcoming	Belgium has vowed to support the verdict of the ICJ in South Africa v. Israel. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said, "As the foreign minister, it is not up to me to make such statements. But my personal opinion is that this is very close to genocide. I don't know what other horrors have yet to occur before that word can be used." Prime Minister Bart De Wever said that the claim of genocide was "something for the International Court of Justice to determine".	[8]
Belize	Yes	On 22 October 2023, Prime Minister John Briceño accused the Israeli government of "committing genocide against the Palestinian people." On 31 January 2025, Belize submitted a request to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.	[9][10]
Bolivia	Yes	President Luis Arce posted on X that he agreed with President Lula of Brazil concerning "the truth about the genocide that is being committed against the brave Palestinian people". On 8 October 2024, Bolivia submitted a request to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.	[11][12]
Brazil	Yes	President Lula da Silva condemned Israel's actions as genocide, saying: "What's happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people hasn't happened at any other moment in history. Actually, it has happened: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews." In June 2025, he accused Israel of carrying out "premediated genocide" in Gaza. On 14 July 2025, it was announced that Brazil would join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.	[13][14]
Canada	Forthcoming	Prime Minister Mark Carney seemingly agreed with a protester who said there was "a genocide happening in Palestine", but later said he had misheard the question. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly neither endorsed nor rejected South Africa's case against Israel. Joly said she would watch the case "very closely" and Global Affairs Canada promised to abide by any decision the court reaches.	[15][16]
Chad	Yes		[‡ 1]
Chile	Yes	President Gabriel Boric has condemned both Hamas and Israel's actions in Gaza, saying he refuses to choose between "the terrorism of Hamas and the genocide that Israel is carrying out in Palestine". On 12 October 2024, Chile submitted a request to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.	[17][18][19]
China	Yes	In the State Council Information Office's "Report on Human Rights Violations in the United States in 2024", Israel was accused of committing genocide in Gaza with the complicity of the United States.	[20]
Colombia	Yes	President Gustavo Petro posted on X in Spanish: "It's called genocide, they do it to remove the Palestinian people from Gaza and take it over. The head of the state who carries out this genocide is a criminal against humanity. Their allies cannot talk about democracy." On 29 February 2024, Petro announced the country would cease importing Israeli arms in the wake of the Flour massacre.	[21][22][23]
Comoros	Yes		[‡ 1]
Cuba	Yes	On 11 January 2024 the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed support for South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ, and on 31 March 2024, president Miguel Diaz-Canel stated that "Cuba demands that the genocide stop now." On 22 June 2024, Cuba announced it would join South Africa's case at the ICJ.	[24][25][26]
Czech Republic	No	Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský rejected the genocide accusation.	[27]
Denmark	Forthcoming	Foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen refrained from accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, saying that it was a matter for courts to decide.	[28]
Djibouti	Yes	President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh said that Palestinians were being subjected to genocide during the war.	[29][‡ 1]
Egypt	Yes	Egypt registered to formally support South Africa's case, following Israel's seizure of the Rafah Border Crossing. In August 2025, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi accused Israel of carrying out a "systematic genocide" in Gaza.	[30][31][32][‡ 1]
France	Unclear	In January 2024, then-Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said that accusing Israel of genocide is "to cross a moral threshold", casting doubt on whether France would accept the ICJ's verdict in South Africa v. Israel. But France's UN Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière had previously said that France would "see what [the ICJ] decide on this matter and we'll make sure that we'll support the outcome of the decision."	[33]
The Gambia	Yes		[‡ 1]
Germany	No	Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit [de] rejected the genocide accusation.	[34]
Greece	No	In an interview on 17 September 2025, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that a major humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Gaza, but he considers the term "genocide" to be heavy.	[35]
Guyana	Yes	President Mohamed Irfaan Ali has called Israel's actions "nothing short of genocide".	[36]
Honduras	Yes	In a speech before the UN General Assembly on 25 September 2024, President Xiomara Castro called for "an end to the genocide in Gaza".	[37]
Hungary	No	Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó described the genocide accusation as "nonsense".	[38]
Indonesia	Yes	Speaking before the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2024, then-Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that "the ongoing genocide by Israel must be stopped immediately".	[39][‡ 1]
Iran	Yes	Then-Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian condemned Israel's actions as genocide.	[40]
Iraq	Yes	On 8 May 2024, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani said that Israel's war in Gaza is tantamount to genocide.	[41][‡ 1]
Ireland	Yes	On 7 November 2024, the Dáil Éireann passed a non-binding motion stating that "genocide is being perpetrated before our eyes by Israel in Gaza". On 11 December, Ireland announced that it was joining South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ; a request to join the case was submitted on 6 January 2025. During a debate in the Dáil Éireann in May 2025, Tánaiste and Foreign Minister Simon Harris spoke of "the genocidal activity of the Netanyahu government" in Gaza.	[42][43][44][45]
Italy	No	In an interview on 11 January 2024, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that, while Israel has targeted civilians during the war in Gaza, "genocide is something else".	[46]
Jordan	Yes	Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said that Israel's actions met the legal definition of genocide.	[47][‡ 1]
Kuwait	Yes		[‡ 1]
Kyrgyzstan	Yes	On 18 March 2024, Kyrgyzstan's government called on Israel and the U.S. to stop the "madness and the genocide" in Gaza.	[48]
Lebanon	Yes	Then-Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed concern "with the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians".	[49][better source needed][‡ 1]
Libya	Yes	In May 2024, Libya filed a declaration of intervention in South Africa's genocide case against Israel as it believes that Israel is committing genocide.	[50][‡ 1]
Malaysia	Yes	Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Israel's actions as genocide and associated the United States as being complicit.	[51]
Maldives	Yes	On 24 September 2024, President Mohamed Muizzu said before the UN General Assembly that "the genocide by Israel in Gaza is a travesty of justice and the international system".	[52][‡ 1]
Mauritania	Yes	The government of Mauritania condemned Israel's actions and called on the international community to "impose an immediate cessation of the genocide to which the Palestinian people are subjected".	[53][‡ 1]
Mexico	Yes	On 22 September 2025, President Claudia Sheinbaum referred to Israel's action in Gaza as genocide during a press conference about the country's recognition of the State of Palestine.	[54][55]
Morocco	Yes		[‡ 1]
Namibia	Yes	In January 2024, President Hage Geingob of Namibia called Israel's actions in Gaza "genocidal and gruesome" and sharply criticised Germany's decision to back Israel in South Africa v. Israel, saying that Germany had an "inability to draw lessons from its horrific history", including the Herero and Nama Genocide in German Southwest Africa.	[56]
Netherlands	Forthcoming	Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said that the Netherlands would not support the UN report that described the situation in the Gaza Strip as genocide and would instead wait for the ICJ's decision.	[57][58]
New Zealand	Forthcoming	Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: "We're interested in what the international courts might say, and that's what we would wait for."	[59]
Nicaragua	Yes	Nicaragua has condemned Israel's accusations as genocide and accused Germany of complicity by exchanging weapons to Israel. In October 2024, Nicaragua severed diplomatic ties with Israel after its invasion of Lebanon, calling the Israeli government "fascist" and "genocidal", and Netanyahu "the son of the Devil". On 8 February 2024, Nicaragua submitted a request to join the ICJ's case against Israel at the ICJ, but withdrew the request on 3 April 2025.	[60][61][62][63][64]
Nigeria	Yes		[‡ 1]
North Korea	Yes	A Foreign Ministry spokesman said a bombing of a hospital during the war "show[ed] that the U.S. is an accomplice who connived at and fostered Israel's genocide".	[65]
Norway	Forthcoming	On 2 September 2024, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, "We welcome the use of the ICJ, but leave to the court to assess whether the accusation of genocide is correct."	[66]
Oman	Yes	The Foreign Ministry condemned Israel's actions as genocide.	[67][‡ 1]
Pakistan	Yes	Then-Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani condemned Israel's actions as genocide.	[68][‡ 1]
Palestine	Yes	President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel's actions as genocide. Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour said Israel's bombardment and siege of Gaza were "nothing less than genocidal".	[69][70][‡ 1]
Paraguay	No	In a statement on 10 January 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the accusations of genocide presented against Israel at the ICJ.	[71]
Poland	No	Polish ambassador to Israel Maciej Hunia denied the accusation of genocide against Israel.	[72]
Qatar	Yes	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the UN Security Council "to take urgent action to prevent the Israeli occupation forces from storming Rafah and committing genocide in" Rafah. Qatari emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said Israel had committed "a crime of genocide".	[73][74][‡ 1]
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Yes	On 11 January 2024, the Prime Minister's office released a statement of support for South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ, calling on the court to adopt provisional measures to "prevent any further acts of genocide against the Palestinian people". The statement also called on other countries to stop providing material support to Israel, accusing those who continue to do so of being "complicit in genocide before our very eyes".	[75]
Saudi Arabia	Yes	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the "continued genocidal massacres against the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli war machine".	[76][‡ 1]
Senegal	Yes	Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko condemned Israel's actions as genocide and accused other countries of complicity.	[77][‡ 1]
Sierra Leone	Yes		[‡ 1]
Slovenia	Yes	In an address to the European Parliament on 21 May 2025, President Nataša Pirc Musar said: "We are witnessing genocide in the West Bank. We are looking and keeping quiet." She later clarified that she meant Gaza, not the West Bank.	[78][79]
Somalia	Yes	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged "swift action to halt Gaza genocide by Israel".	[80][‡ 1]
South Africa	Yes	President Cyril Ramaphosa said, "The fact that Palestinian deaths are not solely caused by bombardment and ground attacks, but also by disease and starvation, indicates a need to protect the group's right to exist".	[81]
Spain	Yes	In May 2025, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called Israel a "genocidal state." Several government ministers have also publicly called Israel's warfare in Gaza genocide, including Second Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz, Defence Minister Margarita Robles, Youth Minister Sira Rego, and former Social Affairs Minister Ione Belarra. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares previously said, "Whether this is genocide or not, that is for the [World] court to decide, and Spain of course will support its decision." On 6 June 2024, Spain submitted a request for joining South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.	[82][83][84][85][86]
Sudan	Yes		[‡ 1]
Syria (before 2024)	Yes	Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad condemned Israel's actions as genocide in October 2023. During a speech to an Arab–Islamic extraordinary summit in November 2024, then-President Bashar al-Assad described Israel's actions as "massacres, genocide and ethnic cleansing".	[87][88]
Syria (after 2024)	Yes		[‡ 1]
Tunisia	Yes	According to Wafa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded an end to Israel's "war of genocide" in May 2024.	[89]
Turkey	Yes	President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned Israel's actions as "amounting to genocide". On 9 February 2024, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the international community's silence on Israel's actions in Gaza were "complicity in genocide". On 7 August 2024, Turkey submitted a request to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.	[90][91][92][‡ 1]
United Arab Emirates	Yes		[‡ 1]
United Kingdom	No	The Foreign Office dismissed the accusation of genocide against Israel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer refused to call Israel's actions in Gaza "genocide". Northern Irish First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Scottish First Minister John Swinney both stated that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, in July and August 2025 respectively. In September 2025 then-foreign secretary David Lammy wrote that The Government's position is that Israel is not acting with genocidal intent.	[93][94][95][96]
United States	No	Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken dismissed the genocide accusation as "meritless". Then-President Joe Biden dismissed the accusation of genocide against Israel. President Donald Trump has also rejected the allegations of genocide, instead calling it a "war" with Hamas.	[97][98][99]
Uruguay	Unclear	A resolution adopted by the governing Broad Front coalition in June 2025 condemned the "ethnic cleansing and genocide" committed by Israel in Gaza, drawing criticism from some opposition parties as well as the Israeli embassy. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin maintained that he views the resolution "positively" and criticized the diplomatic intervention, while insisting on separating the actions of the Broad Front and the government. Lubetkin refrained from stating whether he or the government views the situation as a genocide or not, saying: "Helping Palestine is helping Palestine, not the discussion about the term genocide or massacre." President Yamandú Orsi took a similar position, distancing himself from the statement and saying "it's a declaration of a political force" and "the goverment is another thing [from the party]".	[100][101]
Vatican City	Unclear	In November 2023, several witnesses to a speech by Pope Francis said that he called Israel's actions a genocide, but a Vatican spokesman denied this. Francis later called for an investigation "to determine whether it fits into the technical definition [of genocide] formulated by jurists and international bodies". His successor, Leo XIV said "Officially, the Holy See does not believe that we can make any declaration at this time about that" in September 2025.	[102][103][104]
Venezuela	Yes	President Nicolás Maduro condemned Israel's actions as genocide.	[105]
Yemen	Yes	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel's actions as "war crimes and genocide".	[106][‡ 1]

International organizations

In February 2024 the then-African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki said: "Gaza is being completely annihilated and its people are deprived of all their rights. We denounce the Israeli operation, which has no parallel in the history of humanity."^[107] The official communiqué of the 38th summit of the African Union stated that "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians and must be prosecuted internationally."^[108]

On 26 March, Pakistan's OIC representative said that Israel's desire for a "final solution to the Palestinian question is plain for all to see, as its forces encircle Rafah like vultures and its ravenous land grab continues unabated".^[109] In May 2024, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation called on member states to end "the export of weapons and ammunition used by its army to perpetrate the crime of genocide in Gaza".^[110]

On 16 August 2025, 31 Arab and Islamic countries and the Arab League released a joint statement condemning "Israel's crimes of aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, and highlighted the need to ensure access to humanitarian aid to "halt the systematic starvation policy used by Israel as a weapon of genocide."^[111] A month later, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the Gaza war, which in its initial form mentioned "genocidal actions" from Israel, but this was ultimately omitted.^[112][113]

Notes

1. Foreign minister of the relevant country, in a joint statement of 31 Arab and Islamic countries, "reiterate[d] their rejection and condemnation of the crimes of Israeli aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing" in August 2025.^[4]