Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, presented a 25-page report to the UN Human Rights Council yesterday.

Israel’s actions and patterns of violence “can only be interpreted as constituting prima facie evidence of an intention to systematically destroy the Palestinians as a group”, she said.

Ms Albanese added: “Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is an escalatory stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure.

“For over 70 years, this process has suffocated the Palestinians as a people — demographically, culturally, economically and politically — crushing their inalienable right to self-determination in an attempt to displace them and expropriate and control their lands.

“The ongoing Nakba must be stopped and remedied once and for all.”

Amnesty International has welcomed the report and said it should spur the international community into action.

Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary-general, said: “States must uphold their obligations under the Genocide Convention and take concrete measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza today.

“Third states must apply political pressure on the warring parties to implement the UN Security Council resolution adopted yesterday demanding an immediate ceasefire, use their influence to insist that Israel abides by the resolution, including by stopping the shelling and lifting restrictions on humanitarian aid.

“They must impose a comprehensive arms embargo against all parties to the conflict. They must also pressure Hamas and other armed groups to free all civilian hostages.”

She added: “An enduring ceasefire remains the best way to enforce the ICJ’s provisional measures to prevent genocide, and further crimes and civilian suffering.”