More than 500 employees of the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights have written to High Commissioner Volker Türk urging him to describe the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as an “unfolding genocide,” according to a letter seen by Reuters. The staff committee said the scale and nature of documented violations meet the legal threshold for genocide and warned that failing to denounce it would erode the credibility of both the United Nations and the global human-rights system. The appeal comes as the nearly two-year conflict continues to exact a heavy toll. The Gaza Health Ministry puts the Palestinian death count at roughly 63,000, while Israel cites its right to self-defence after Hamas’s 7 Oct 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages. Israel rejects genocide allegations, and Türk has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian situation while noting that international courts, not the U.N. secretariat, determine genocide. In his reply to staff, he acknowledged their concerns and called for unity as the office weighs its next steps.