GAZA/THE HAGUE (Dispatches) – The deaths of Palestinian doctors in Israeli custody and new comments from a prominent international jurist have intensified scrutiny over Israel’s conduct in Gaza, as human rights groups and legal experts warn of a growing body of evidence pointing to genocide.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy said that 24 doctors from the Gaza Strip remain imprisoned in “inhumane and degrading” conditions. At least two of them—Dr. Adnan al-Barsh and Dr. Iyad al-Rantisi—have died in custody since October 2023, allegedly due to torture, denial of medical care, and deliberate neglect.
“These are systematic and targeted attacks against Gaza’s health system and its workers,” the advocacy center said, calling on the World Health Organization and the United Nations to urgently intervene. It added that more than 400 Palestinian medical workers have been detained since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, with most never formally charged or tried.
The treatment of Gaza’s medical personnel coincides with mounting accusations that Israel’s ongoing assault on the besieged enclave amounts to genocide.
Graham Blewitt, former deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, told Australia’s SBS News that the evidence of genocidal intent in Gaza is “overwhelming.” 
Blewitt, who helped prosecute the Srebrenica genocide, said Israel’s conduct bears “disturbing similarities” to the 1995 massacre in Bosnia.
“There’s no direct evidence apart from statements made by various Israeli leaders suggesting that they just want to wipe Palestinians off the face of the Earth,” Blewitt said. 
He also criticized the disproportionate airstrikes that target buildings allegedly housing Hamas operatives while killing dozens of civilians.
In today’s digital age, Blewitt said, “there’s no end of visual evidence” to support investigations, though international investigators still lack access to Gaza for on-site documentation.
He warned that international justice is under threat due to political interference, including the Trump administration’s past efforts to sanction ICC staff. “It’s an appalling situation,” Blewitt said, lamenting what he called a global failure to hold Israeli leaders accountable.
The International Court of Justice is currently reviewing a genocide case brought by South Africa, as Gaza’s death toll surpasses 60,000, mostly women and children.