The military goal of fighting Hamas does not preclude Israel's U.S.-backed offensive from involving genocidal policies, the watchdog group said Wednesday.

Amnesty International on Wednesday said that it had gathered “sufficient evidence to believe” that Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people.

The declaration by one of the world’s most prominent rights organizations is likely to intensify a debate that has raged for months over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Amnesty International accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas, saying it has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by mounting deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure and preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Amnesty International says a genocide is being committed against Palestinians in Gaza, an accusation Israel rejects

Amnesty International accused the state of Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war in a report published on Thursday, an allegation Israeli leaders have repeatedly denied.

Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of "committing genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war last year, saying its new report was a "wake-up call" for the international community.

In a new 300-page report, the human rights group joins a growing chorus of legal scholars and activists describing Israel’s assault on Palestinians as genocide.

The declaration throws the weight of a major international advocacy group behind a popular claim against Israel amid war with Hamas.

Amnesty International says Israel is “committing genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, in a new report that it calls a “wake-up call” for the international community. The London-based rights organization says its findings are based on “dehumanizing and genocidal statements by Israeli government and military officials,