A GROUP of the world’s top academics on genocide have formally declared that Israel’s war on the Palestinians in Gaza meets the legal definition of genocide.

The resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) today was a landmark intervention from leading experts in international law.

The 500-member body of academics said Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza fulfil the definition of genocide set out in the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The UN convention defines genocide as crimes committed “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.”

Melanie O’Brien, IAGS president and professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told the Reuters news agency: “This is a definitive statement from experts in the field of genocide studies that what is going on on the ground in Gaza is genocide.”

Some 86 per cent of members voted in favour of the resolution and called on the Israelis to halt “deliberate attacks on civilians, including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other essentials; sexual and reproductive violence and forced displacement.”

Sergey Vasiliev, professor of international law at the Open University of the Netherlands, told Reuters: “This legal assessment has become mainstream within academia, particularly in the field of genocide studies.”

Ismail al-Thawabta, head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, said the “prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts.”

He said that the resolution “places a legal and moral obligation on the international community to take urgent action to stop the crime, protect civilians, and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable.”

IAGS has previously recognised genocides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, Armenia and Myanmar.

Last week hundreds of UN human rights staff last week urged the organisations High Commissioner Volker Turk to explicitly label Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.

Meanwhile, a flotilla headed to Gaza that had departed Barcelona was forced back to port after a storm with strong winds hit parts of Spain overnight.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of around 20 boats with participants from 44 countries, chose to return and delay its departure to “prioritise safety,” a statement said on Monday.

The flotilla is the largest attempt yet to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory by sea and comes as Israel has stepped up its offensive on Palestinians in Gaza City, limiting the deliveries of food and basic supplies in the north of the Palestinian territory.