A senior European Union executive has publicly described the ongoing crisis in Gaza as resembling genocide, marking the first time an EU commissioner has made such a direct accusation.
Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President and its second-highest ranking official, told Politico in an interview that the displacement and killing in Gaza “look very much like the definition used to express” genocide. Her comments mark a notable departure from the European Commission’s official stance on the conflict, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Ribera highlighted that a “concrete population” in Gaza is being targeted, killed, and “condemned to starve to death.” While the European Commission has criticized Israel for human rights violations in Gaza, it has stopped short of labeling the situation genocide.
Last week, the Commission proposed restricting Israeli access to its flagship research funding programme amid increasing calls from EU member states to pressure Israel to ease the humanitarian crisis. The Commission cited violations of a human rights clause in the agreement governing EU-Israel relations.
Israel has strongly rejected all accusations of genocide. Its mission to the EU did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a genocide case filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice as “outrageous.”
The current conflict began in October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s military response has devastated Gaza, where Palestinian health authorities report over 61,000 deaths, mostly civilians.
Israel maintains its actions are acts of self-defense and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields—a claim denied by the militant group.
The escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to draw sharp international scrutiny as tensions in the region remain high.
