Israel launches ground invasion of Gaza: UN says genocide, Israel rejects accusations – Rezazade

The Israeli army officially launched its long-awaited ground offensive on Gaza City on Tuesday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that units of two divisions, supported by air and naval forces, had advanced to the outskirts of the enclave’s largest city, preparing to advance deep into the territory. ʼ

According to Israeli commanders, the operation will be gradual in nature, and the main goal is to destroy Hamas cells.

Palestinians reported a night of intense airstrikes, after which tens of thousands of people began to leave the city and move to the south of the Gaza Strip. At the same time, humanitarian organizations emphasize that hundreds of thousands of civilians remain blocked in Gaza without the possibility of safe evacuation.

Against this background, an independent UN commission stated that Israel’s actions in Gaza fall within the definition of genocide. The document emphasizes that “the frank statements of Israeli civilian and military officials, as well as the nature of the actions of the security forces, indicate the intention to destroy the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group - in whole or in part.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected these conclusions, calling them “falsifications and lies.”

According to an international expert, the first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, Ali Reza Rezazade, the situation around Gaza demonstrates a dangerous shift in the rhetoric and practice of international conflicts.

“The fact that independent UN structures use the term “genocide” testifies to the exceptional seriousness of Israel’s actions. This creates a new level of international responsibility, which will be difficult to ignore even for Israel’s closest allies, in particular the United States,” Rezazade noted.

He emphasized that the continuation of the operation in Gaza will have two key consequences: a further humanitarian catastrophe and increased isolation of Israel on the international stage. “A ground invasion could lead to even more civilian casualties, which in turn would fuel the arguments of those who accuse Israel of genocide,” the expert added.

According to Rezazade, Israel’s current strategy risks a global diplomatic split: “The longer this operation continues, the more countries will start demanding real sanctions against Israel. And then the conflict could go far beyond the borders of the Middle East.”