Israeli author David Grossman brands Gaza war a 'genocide'

Israeli writer David Grossman has proclaimed the assault on the Gaza Strip a "genocide", adding to a growing chorus of condemnation of the war.

In an interview published on Friday in the Italian daily La Repubblica, Grossman said the bloodshed in Gaza broke his "heart".

"For years I refused to use the term 'genocide'. But now I can't help but use it, after what I read in the newspapers, after the images I saw and after talking to people who were there," he said.

"I want to speak as someone who has done everything possible to avoid calling Israel a genocidal state - and now, with immense pain and a broken heart, I have to face what is happening before my eyes. 'Genocide'. It's an avalanche word: once you say it, it only gets bigger, like an avalanche. And it brings even more destruction and suffering."

Asked what he thought when he read the death toll in Gaza, he replied: "I feel bad."

At least 98 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours, with another 1,079 wounded, the Palestinian health ministry is reporting.

Of that figure, 39 were aid seekers.

The latest deaths bring the overall toll of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 2023 to 60,430, with 148,722 wounded.

Hospitals in Gaza have also recorded seven deaths, including a child, as a result of Israeli-imposed starvation in the last 24 hours.

Grossman said that the scenes of starvation and killing in Gaza had particular resonance for him.

"Putting the words 'Israel' and 'famine' together, doing so based on our history, our supposed sensitivity to the suffering of humanity, the moral responsibility we have always said we have towards every human being, not just the Jews... all of this is devastating," he said.

Grossman added that he remained "desperately loyal" to the idea of a two-state solution, "mainly because I see no alternative".