Gazacide- The Demand for a New Legal Concept for Genocide in the Digital Age

Abstract

This paper employs doctrinal legal analysis combined with interdisciplinary evidence to propose the concept of 'Gazacide' (الإبادة الغزية) as an expansion of the 1948 Genocide Convention. Drawing on empirical research conducted during the 2023-2024 Gaza genocide, we argue that contemporary genocide requires a sixth material element: the simultaneous public display of genocidal acts via digital media. The proposed concept rests on four pillars: classical material elements, special intent, visual-digital documentation, and international omission. This re-conceptualisation addresses the transformation of genocide from a crime discovered after the fact to one performed live before the world, with profound implications for preventive intervention and international criminal accountability.
The paper demonstrates that contemporary genocide has evolved from a crime committed in secrecy to one broadcast in real time, transforming global public space into a visible theatre for atrocity. This shift necessitates expanding the material element of genocide to include a sixth act: the simultaneous public display of genocidal acts, thereby multiplying their psychological and symbolic impact and establishing a state of international normalisation with mass destruction.