'Reasonable To Believe' Gaza Child Killings Part Of Larger Genocide Plan, Says Justice Muralidhar

Justice S. Muralidhar, a former Chief Justice and senior Indian jurist now associated with international legal proceedings on the Gaza conflict, has stated that there is reasonable cause to believe the targeted killing of children in Gaza is part of a larger, deliberate plan for the genocide of the Palestinian people. The statement, carried by The Hindu, represents a significant judicial articulation of what many human rights bodies have been arguing for months.

The remarks come alongside a UN report that details what it describes as the overwhelming scale of child casualties in Gaza — a body of evidence that legal experts say strengthens the evidentiary basis for genocide proceedings. The framing of child deaths as 'targeted' and part of a 'larger plan' is legally significant: it speaks directly to the specific intent requirement under the Genocide Convention, which is the hardest element to establish in international law.

International courts have been grappling with the Gaza conflict for over a year. South Africa brought a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court has issued warrants related to the conflict. Statements from credible jurists like Justice Muralidhar add to the legal and moral weight being brought to bear on what is now one of the most scrutinised conflicts in modern international law.

For India, the statement is notable given the country's traditionally calibrated position on the Israel-Palestine conflict. A senior Indian jurist taking such a firm public stance underscores how the international legal conversation around Gaza is sharpening, and may influence India's own diplomatic posture at multilateral forums.