Senior EU official says Gaza crisis 'looks very much' like genocide

7/8/2025 17:55

A senior member of the European Union's executive said the displacement and killing in Gaza looked very much like genocide, the first commissioner to level that accusation and publicly break with the body's position on the conflict.



"If it is not genocide, it looks very much like the definition used to express its meaning," Teresa Ribera - the European Commission's second-highest ranking official - told Politico in an interview published on Thursday.



Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of carrying out genocide in its war in Gaza. Israel's mission to the EU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



Ribera is the European Commission's Executive Vice President, second only in seniority to President Ursula von der Leyen. The Spanish socialist, whose portfolio includes climate and anti-trust issues, is not responsible for EU foreign policy.



"What we are seeing is a concrete population being targeted, killed and condemned to starve to death," Ribera told Politico.



Her statements went further than the European Commission, which has accused Israel of violating human rights in Gaza, but stopped short of accusing it of genocide.