As of writing this, it’s nearly Oct 7th, 2026, which means it has been 3 years since Israel’s genocide on Palestinians in Gaza began. Like clockwork, you will likely hear the same Zionist talking points recycled again and again. At this point, we’ve heard them all, but we know it can be hard to refute these because some are more clever than others. We’ve put together this article to help us dispel and push back on some of the most common ones we hear all the time (with sources) so that you can be better prepared once you come across one again.
This is, of course, a non-exhaustive list. If there’s a talking point you need help responding to that’s not on here, please let us know by leaving a comment or emailing us.
“Israel has a right to defend itself.”
This is one of the most common justifications for Israel’s actions after October 7th. The implication is that Israel has, like every other country, a right to defend itself from attacks. The claim of “self-defense” is used to justify war crimes such as bombing hospitals and schools, targeting journalists and doctors, and intentionally starving civilians.
While self-defense is a right for countries that are attacked by external forces, international law is clear: a right to self defense does not apply to threats coming from a territory that a state occupies. This has been affirmed by the UN Charter and multiple rulings from the World Court; and in 2004 and 2024, the World Court reaffirmed that Israel is the occupying force across all Palestinian territories.
Due to Israel’s status as the occupying force in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, they do not have a legal right to claim self-defense. What’s more - do Palestinians also not have a right to self-defense after 70 years of oppression, 20 years of a brutal siege in Gaza, and daily attacks by Israeli settlers and IOF missile strikes? Legally, the right to self-defense belongs to the Palestinians who have been under illegal occupation and oppressed by Israel.
The “right to self-defense” also assumes that Palestinians in Gaza and Israel are equal entities when they are not. Israel is a nuclear-powered nation with one of the most powerful militaries in the Middle East. Palestinians in Gaza are an oppressed people living in what many call the world’s largest open-air prison with nearly every aspect of daily life controlled by Israel.
“Israel is not occupying Gaza because there are no troops inside Gaza.”
Israel claims to have withdrawn from Gaza in 2005, but two years later they imposed a full land, air, and sea blockade of Gaza. Before October 7th, Israel still controlled Gaza’s borders, airspace, coastline, electricity, water, imports, and movement of people. Palestinians in Gaza are not even allowed to fish their own waters or collect rainwater! While there were no troops physically on the ground inside Gaza, they still control virtually all critical systems of life in the territory which is why many compare Gaza to the world’s largest open-air prison.
Despite a 2025 “ceasefire” in Gaza, Israel still has troops inside Gaza along and past the mandated “yellow-line.” They continue to build more military outposts inside Gaza, with plans to herd Palestinian civilians into controlled zones that many have likened to concentration camps.
“There is no genocide because Palestinians are still in Gaza.”
Many will claim that genocide is not being committed in Gaza because many Palestinians still live in Gaza - the logic goes: if Israel really wanted to eliminate all Palestinians, they could easily do so with their military might. This logic falls apart when we look at the UN’s definition for genocide. Genocide is not defined by a number of people killed or by the complete elimination of a group - genocide is a process, not a single event.
Specifically, genocide is defined as the intent to destroy a group in part or whole. Since October 7th, 2023, Israeli leaders have made continuous statements about their intention to destroy Palestinian life by denying humanitarian aid and destroy the Gaza Strip. They have used dehumanizing language like calling Palestinians “human animals” or “people of darkness.”
Here is an ongoing database of Israeli incitements of genocide compiled for Law for Palestine
Under the 1948 Genocide Convention, there are 5 parts that define a genocide and Israel has committed 4/5 of them:
- Killing members of the group - by official death tolls that Israel also recognizes, there have been over 60,000 deaths in Gaza with over half being women and children. Estimates by the Lancet put the number many times higher when including indirect deaths too.
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of a group - Israel’s attacks on Gaza have created one the largest humanitarian crises in the world, and currently Gaza has the largest population of child amputees and suicidal thoughts have become common among children. Credible reports from UN experts and human rights groups reveal that Israel systematically detains and tortures Palestinians, including routinely using sexual violence on victims.
- Deliberating inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction - Israel has intentionally targeted schools, refugee camps, bakeries, hospitals, and medical workers in their attacks on Gaza. They have destroyed the majority of infrastructure in Gaza, leaving most without proper housing or access to hygiene, pressuring Palestinians to leave or face a slow death.
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group - There has been significant harm to the reproductive capacity of girls and women due to starvation and a lack of access to water and sanitation. Human rights groups say girls and women have suffered miscarriages and other childbirth complications, due to a lack of healthcare professionals and facilities. Direct attacks have also taken place on sexual and reproductive healthcare facilities, including maternity wards and a fertility clinic holding 4,000 embryos, which UN experts alleged was intended to prevent births.
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group - This practice is less well-documented. As a Jewish supremacist state, Israel does not want more Palestinians inside of Israel so they have adopted a policy of pushing Palestinians to leave Gaza and the West Bank as refugees by making life as difficult as possible.
Taken together, this is why the International Association of Genocide Scholars agree that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
