Two Israeli human rights organizations accused the government of Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The groups represented the first major voices within Israeli society to level the strongest possible accusation against the state.

Rights group B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel released their reports at a press conference in Jerusalem, saying Israel was carrying out "coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza strip."

 While claiming to target only Islamist extremist group Hamas, the Israeli government carried out a policy of "mass killing" through direct attacks and by creating catastrophic living conditions in Gaza that drove the death toll higher, the NGOs said.

The report also found that Israeli forces caused "serious bodily or mental harm to the entire population of the Strip" and carried out "large-scale destruction of infrastructure" along with "destruction of the social fabric, including Palestinian schools and cultural sites."

"The people of Gaza have been displaced, bombed and starved, left completely stripped of their humanity and rights." said Yuli Novak, B'Tselem's executive director.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel focused on damage to Gaza's healthcare system, saying: "Israel's actions have destroyed Gaza's healthcare infrastructure in a manner that is both calculated and systematic."

How did the Israeli government respond?

An Israeli government spokesperson called the allegation made by the human rights groups "baseless."

Since the early days of the Gaza war, Israel has repeatedly denied accusations of genocide—including in a case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called "outrageous."

The 1948 Genocide Convention, adopted globally after the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II, defines genocide as intentional acts meant to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.

When Amnesty International last December accused Israel of committing genocidal acts, Israel's foreign ministry slammed the global rights group as a "deplorable and fanatical organization."

Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez