UN Staff Urge Rights Chief to Call Gaza Conflict a Genocide

Geneva, Thursday — Hundreds of staff at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have urged UN rights chief Volker Türk to publicly describe the ongoing Gaza war as “an unfolding genocide,” according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The letter, signed on behalf of more than 500 employees, argued that the legal criteria for genocide have been met, citing the scale and nature of violations reported in Gaza during nearly two years of conflict. “Failing to denounce an unfolding genocide undermines the credibility of the UN and the human rights system itself,” the letter said, recalling the UN’s moral failure during the 1994 Rwanda genocide.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed full support for Türk, while spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric noted that labeling events as genocide is the responsibility of competent legal authorities.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the staff letter, calling it “false, baseless, and driven by obsessive hatred,” and reiterated its stance that military operations in Gaza are acts of self-defense following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which killed 1,200 people and left 251 hostage.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. International agencies have also warned of famine in parts of the territory.

Türk, an Austrian lawyer who has served the UN for decades, acknowledged staff concerns, writing that he shared their “moral indignation” at the ongoing suffering but called for unity within OHCHR.

The appeal follows accusations by rights groups such as Amnesty International, which have already used the term genocide to describe Israel’s actions. However, UN officials maintain that only international courts can formally determine genocide. South Africa has filed such a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, though a ruling on the merits could take years.