I. Context & Background (2023–2025)
Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched an extended military campaign in Gaza and intensified operations in the West Bank. These actions have drawn widespread international condemnation as well as accusations of terror tactics or crimes against humanity against the Israeli government itself.
II. Accusations from Israeli Human Rights Organizations
In late July 2025, two prominent Israeli human rights groups—B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights‑Israel—formally accused Netanyahu’s government of committing genocide in Gaza. Their reports cite deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure, destruction of healthcare services, denial of food and water, and manipulation of aid delivery as evidence of intent to inflict widespread suffering India Today+2Hindustan Times+2Reddit+2The Washington Post+2The Washington Post+2AP News+2.
III. International Criminal Court Arrest Warrants
On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for both Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They face charges including:
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The war crime of starvation as a method of warfare
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Murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity
The warrants assert that these alleged crimes occurred during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas October 7 attack France 24+4Wikipedia+4India Today+4.
Israel immediately rejected the ICC charges, calling them politically motivated and even “antisemitic”—equating the warrants to a modern-day Dreyfus affair The GuardianIndia TodayWikipedia.
IV. Starvation & Humanitarian Blockade
Observers such as The Guardian and The Washington Post report that Israel has deliberately restricted access to food, water, and medicine in Gaza as part of a broader blockade. Critics, including UN agencies, say these restrictions amount to collective punishment with the intent to inflict terror on the civilian population. Israel denies intentional blockage, instead blaming Hamas for using civilians as shields or diverting aid thesun.co.uk+3The Guardian+3The Washington Post+3.
V. Military Raids & Civilian Casualties in West Bank
Following several alleged Palestinian terror attacks inside Israel, Netanyahu ordered "intensive operations" by the IDF in the West Bank, including refugee camps and cities like Jenin and Tulkarem. These raids reportedly resulted in hundreds of Palestinian deaths—including significant numbers of civilians—and the displacement of tens of thousands malaymail.com+1voanews.com+1.
Displacement, home demolitions, and permit cancellations affecting families—even beyond direct suspects—have been described by human rights advocates as collective punishment and akin to state-facilitated terror practices Wikipediaaa.com.trmalaymail.com.
VI. Palestinian Leaders’ Terminology: “State Terrorism”
The Palestinian Authority, including Foreign Minister Riyad al‑Maliki, has condemned such actions as “organized state terrorism”, particularly citing attacks carried out by Israeli settlers—often with alleged IDF protection—and settlement expansion aimed at displacing Palestinians aa.com.tr.
VII. Netanyahu’s Response and Israeli Narrative
Benjamin Netanyahu’s consistent defense frames Israel’s actions as legitimate self-defense against Hamas and other militant threats. He emphasizes that operations target “terrorists”, not civilians, and asserts that Israel goes to lengths to avoid civilian harm through evacuation messages and air-drop warnings efe.comIndia Today.
He has also explicitly rejected recognition of a Palestinian state as tantamount to rewarding terrorism, arguing that concessions would embolden militant attacks news24.com+1thesun.co.uk+1.
Additionally, Netanyahu has defended controversial tactics such as arming anti-Hamas Palestinian clans in Gaza to counter Hamas influence—despite criticism that such groups have ties to extremist or violent elements, which analysts warn could increase instability or civilian harm The Guardian.
VIII. Credibility & Disputes
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Israeli human rights groups and independent reporting document widespread civilian suffering and argue for intent behind policies—especially starvation/blockade—as meeting legal thresholds for war crimes or genocide.
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ICC legal findings provide basis for formal charges under international law.
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Israeli government response frames all measures as defensive, with the goal of neutralizing terrorist infrastructure, and insists steps are taken to minimize civilian casualties.
IX. Summary of Key Alleged Acts
Allegation | Description |
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Starvation as Weapon | Blockade and aid restrictions leading to civilian deaths; ICC issuance of warrant for war crime omni.se+2Reuters+2The Guardian+2 |
Destruction of Civilian Infrastructure | Targeting hospitals, water systems, displacement of 1.9M people, destruction of healthcare AP NewsThe Washington Post |
West Bank Raids & Displacement | Intensive military operations killing hundreds, demolishing homes, seizing permits, displacing families malaymail.comjpost.com |
Protection of Settler Violence | Palestinian leadership describing settlement expansion and settler attacks as coordinated state terrorism aa.com.trReddit |
X. Framing the Controversy
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From the perspective of victims and rights groups, these actions amount to terror tactics: methods of instilling control, fear, and forced displacement targeting civilian populations.
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From the perspective of Israeli leadership and many supporters, these are security operations aimed at eliminating threats, with civilian harm being unintentional or minimized.
Conclusion
The label of "terrorism" attributed to Netanyahu’s conduct by critics stems from systematic policies—like blockade, starvation, mass displacement, and violent raids—that disproportionately impact Palestinian civilians. These actions are framed as terror-inducing and purposefully coercive by Palestinian authorities and human rights groups, and have led to unprecedented legal action, including ICC arrest warrants.
Netanyahu and his government consistently deny wrongdoing, framing operations as justified defense against militant threats, and reject all accusations as politically motivated or ideologically biased.
This remains one of the most contentious ethical and legal disputes globally, with ongoing debates, investigations, and political fallout. International bodies continue to probe these allegations while Israel rejects them.