Overview

• An internal letter signed on behalf of more than 500 OHCHR employees, roughly a quarter of the office, asks High Commissioner Volker Turk to publicly characterize Israel’s campaign in Gaza as genocide.
• Signatories say the legal threshold has been met based on UN reporting and expert assessments, warn that silence erodes UN credibility, and invoke lessons from the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
• The letter also presses OHCHR to call on UN member states to suspend arms sales and related support to Israel, arguing such transfers could breach international law.
• Turk acknowledged the concerns, called for unity, and pledged to keep demanding accountability on arms transfers, while spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said internal discussions on next steps will continue.
• The UN has not adopted the term as it defers to courts, South Africa’s ICJ case is pending after a ruling that the genocide claim is plausible, Israel rejects the accusation as it cites self-defence, and Gaza authorities report about 63,000 deaths with famine confirmed in parts of the territory.