Amnesty International accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas, saying it has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by mounting deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure and preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The human rights group said the legal threshold for the crime had been met, in its first such determination during an active armed conflict.

The declaration by one of the world’s most prominent rights organizations is likely to intensify a debate that has raged for months over Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Amnesty International accused the state of Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war in a report published on Thursday, an allegation Israeli leaders have repeatedly denied. The London-based human rights group said it reached the conclusion after months of analysing incidents and statements of Israeli officials.

Amnesty International on Wednesday said that it had gathered “sufficient evidence to believe” that Israel’s conduct during the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against the Palestinian people.

The military goal of fighting Hamas does not preclude Israel's U.S.-backed offensive from involving genocidal policies, the watchdog group said Wednesday.