Hundreds of UN staff pressure rights chief to call Gaza a genocide, letter shows

By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) -Hundreds of U.N. staff at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Volker Turk have asked him to explicitly describe the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The letter sent on Wednesday said the staff consider that the legal criteria for genocide in the nearly two-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza have been met, citing the scale, scope and nature of violations documented there.

"OHCHR has a strong legal and moral responsibility to denounce acts of genocide," said the letter signed by the Staff Committee on behalf of over 500 employees. "Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the U.N. and the human rights system itself," it added.

It cited the international body's perceived moral failure for not doing more to stop the 1994 Rwanda genocide that killed more than 1 million people. 

There was no immediate response from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israel has previously rejected accusations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to self-defence following the deadly October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

The subsequent war in Gaza has killed almost 63,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, while a global hunger monitor says part of it is suffering from famine.

Some rights groups like Amnesty International have already accused Israel of committing genocide and an independent U.N. expert Francesca Albanese has also used the term, but not the United Nations itself. 

U.N. officials have in the past said that it is up to international courts to determine genocide.

In 2023, South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel’s actions in Gaza to the International Court of Justice but the case has not yet been heard on its merits yet – a process that can take years. 

'SHAKEN TO THE CORE'

"The situation in Gaza has shaken us all to our core," said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, citing difficult circumstances faced by the office as it tries to document facts and raise the alarm. "There have been and will continue to be discussions internally on how to move forward," she said in reference to the letter.

Turk, who has repeatedly condemned Israel's actions in Gaza and warned of the increasing risk of atrocity crimes, said the letter raised important concerns.

"I know we all share a feeling of moral indignation at the horrors we are witnessing, as well as frustration in the face of the international community’s inability to bring this situation to an end," he said in a copy of his response seen by Reuters, calling for employees to "remain united as an Office in the face of such adversity".

(Reporting by Emma Farge; Additional reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem; Editing by Sharon Singleton)