London, 7 October 2025 – On the second anniversary of the events of 7 October and the subsequent all-out Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) affirms that what Gaza has endured over the past two years is not merely a war, but a full-fledged genocide carried out in full view of the entire world. Israel has turned Gaza into an uninhabitable place, in a systematic and deliberate attempt to erase the Palestinian people from their land.

Over 730 days, the ongoing Israeli onslaught has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and injured over 160,000 others. The overwhelming majority of the victims are civilians, including more than 19,000 children and 12,500 women – clear evidence of the deliberate nature of Israel’s targeting of the Palestinian population.

What has taken place in Gaza represents one of the most dangerous phases of Israel’s colonial project of ethnic cleansing. The total destruction of infrastructure, the bombing of hospitals and schools, the erasure of entire neighbourhoods through the destruction of nearly a quarter of a million housing units, the forced displacement of nearly two million people, and the suffocating blockade that has caused a catastrophic famine killing hundreds – all of these acts demonstrate the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinian people in Gaza, amounting to the ongoing crime of genocide.

The genocidal intent of the Israeli leadership is evident in its deliberate prolongation of the war, its sabotage of all negotiation efforts, and even its targeting of the Palestinian negotiating delegation in an attempt to assassinate them in full. These practices prove that this campaign of destruction is not a reaction to the events of 7 October, but rather the execution of a premeditated colonial project aimed at eliminating Palestinian existence, dismantling their cause, and imposing a new demographic and geographic reality.

The PRC holds the international community – especially those states that have provided Israel with political cover and military support – directly responsible for these crimes. For years, PRC, alongside hundreds of human rights organisations, has consistently warned in the halls of the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and European political forums about the consequences of international silence. It is now time for the international system to heed these warnings, to enforce international law on all without exception, and to end the absolute impunity granted to Israel. This impunity has long emboldened Israeli officials to boast of their violations, culminating in an Israeli minister openly declaring that international law does not apply to them. Continued complicity not only endangers Palestinian lives but also undermines the foundations of the entire international order.

The assault on Gaza is a direct attack on the Palestinian cause as a whole, on the principles and rights that Palestinians have defended for decades. While new plans are being floated to forcibly displace even more Palestinians, our people, displaced for 77 years, remain steadfast in their inalienable right to return to their homes. This genocide is a desperate attempt to crush that will and liquidate the cause, but it will only strengthen Palestinians’ resolve to achieve freedom and return.

On this painful anniversary, the Palestinian Return Centre calls for the following:

Silence and inaction are no longer acceptable. The PRC calls on all free people of the world – governments, organisations, and societies – to turn condemnation into action and to stand firmly in enforcing international law and ending this massacre. The Centre commends the principled stances of those states that have refused to remain silent and taken concrete steps towards justice, urging others to follow suit.

We address every leader, politician, and parliamentarian worldwide, and every UN official: before the images of children pulled from beneath the rubble, the cries of bereaved mothers, and the dignity of elders dying from hunger – where is your humanity? History will record your positions, and it will remember who stood for principles and who chose silence. Do not allow Gaza’s blood to stain the conscience of humanity forever. Act now – every minute of delay means more innocent lives lost.