Gaza: Destruction of Conditions of Life

The latest report by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHRI), released in July 2025, entitled, Destruction of Conditions of Life: A Health Analysis of the Gaza Genocide, accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The report provides a detailed legal and medical analysis documenting the deliberate dismantling of Gaza’s essential systems, including health care, electricity, clean water, and food access. PHRI concludes that Israel has committed three acts of genocide as defined by international law, such as "deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part."

The report argues that repeated statements by Israeli officials and military endorsing the total destruction, starvation, and permanent displacement of Palestinians, combined with on-ground policies, prove an intentional effort to obliterate Palestinian society.

This is the first time that major Israeli human rights groups, including PHRI and B'Tselem, have explicitly accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Their reports emphasize the unprecedented destruction of civilians, forced displacement of Gaza’s population, and coordinated military policies amounting to genocide. The groups also call for immediate action to halt the genocide and accountability for violations.

Additionally, the United Nations Office for Human Rights has condemned the killing of medical professionals in Gaza in multiple attacks and highlighted the severe constraints on health workers amid thousands of civilian deaths and injuries, underscoring the grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The main findings of Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) on Gaza, as detailed in their latest report, are as follows:

• PHRI accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, supported by detailed legal and medical documentation.

• The report documents an intentional and systematic dismantling of essential systems in Gaza, notably the healthcare system, but also including electricity, clean water, food access, and other infrastructures crucial for survival.

• PHRI asserts that this damage is not collateral war damage but a deliberate policy aimed at destroying Palestinian lives and society, meeting the criteria of genocide under international law (such as deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about the group's physical destruction in whole or in part).

• The report highlights direct and indiscriminate attacks on healthcare facilities, blocking of medical aid, restrictions on medical evacuations, and harm inflicted on healthcare workers, including detention, torture, and killings.

• PHRI’s analysis is supported by testimony from healthcare workers, visual evidence, and the organization’s own legal work challenging Israel’s blockade.

• The report also notes Israeli government and military statements that allegedly endorse the total destruction, starvation, and displacement of Palestinians, reinforcing the claim of genocidal intent.

• PHRI’s findings are part of a broader indictment alongside another Israeli group, B'Tselem, marking the first time major Israeli human rights groups have made formal genocide accusations related to Gaza.

• These findings come amid a grave humanitarian crisis with widespread civilian suffering and extensive destruction in Gaza since October 2023.

This report is a significant and firm indictment by Israeli human rights organizations accusing their own government of genocide in Gaza, supported by medical-legal evidence and detailed documentation of destruction and suffering in the territory since the conflict escalated in late 2023. The report has intensified the global debate on accountability and the legal characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

This information is drawn from detailed investigative reports and statements released in July 2025 by PHRI and corroborated by allied groups and international human rights observers.

Here is the full report: