On Thursday, Ribera stated: “The genocide in Gaza exposes Europe’s failure to act and speak with one voice, even as protests spread across European cities and 14 members of the UN Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire.”

Ribera’s statement was part of her speech at the prestigious French Political Science University.

Ribera, responsible for competition policy and the green transition and a socialist, told Politico last month: “If it is not genocide, it closely resembles the definition used to express its meaning,” regarding Gaza.

So far, the Commission has mainly warned against Israel’s human rights violations and urged compliance with international law, avoiding the term “genocide.”

However, several parliamentary group leaders in the European Parliament have recently accused Israel of “committing genocide.”

Israel and the German government reject the genocide accusation. According to the UN Convention, the term genocide refers to “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.”

A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed Ribera’s statement as baseless and unacceptable, accusing her of becoming “a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda.”

The ministry said: “Instead of repeating the genocide myth spread by Hamas, Ribera should demand the release of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas so the war can end.”

Criticism of Israel is increasing given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and Israel’s expanding military operations there.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars also stated that the Israeli military operations in Gaza constitute crimes of comprehensive genocide.

The association called on Israel to stop what it described as “genocide crimes, war crimes, and crimes against humanity,” while urging the Israeli government and UN members to “support the reconstruction process, transitional justice, ensuring democracy, freedom, and security for all Gaza residents.”