In assessments of the Gaza genocide, experts state that statements by Israeli political and military leaders—coupled with eliminationist media rhetoric, and Israel's conduct in Gaza—indicate genocidal intent and incitement against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Genocidal intent is also evidenced by the scale and systematic nature of actions that exceed any legitimate military objective, including the extensive targeting of children, widespread sexual violence, the destruction of cultural heritage, and the imposition of life-destroying conditions, together with the persistence of these practices despite full awareness of their catastrophic effects.
Both a United Nations commission of inquiry and Amnesty International documented a "pattern of conduct" by Israeli authorities, concluding that genocidal intent is the "only reasonable inference" that could be drawn based on the evidence. A United Nations panel also concluded that statements made by Israeli officials indicate genocidal intent.
Multiple genocide studies experts—including the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, Genocide Watch and others—draw attention to the multitude of verbal statements made by Israeli officials that dehumanize Palestinians and which incite, justify, or praise atrocities against them. The United Nations commission of inquiry found that Israeli officials—President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant—had engaged in the crime of "direct and public incitement to commit genocide" with their comments. Incitement-to-genocide is a stand-alone crime that is prosecutable even if genocide does not occur. Genocidal intent and incitement have also been attributed to Israeli journalists and United States congressmen.