The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, doesn’t hesitate to use the term genocide. She repeats it deliberately during her conversation with EUobserver.
“It is genocide. I know people are uncomfortable with that word, but what else can we call it?,” she says.
Albanese references the systematic destruction of Gaza, the starvation of its people, and the open declarations of intent by Israeli officials as evidence of genocidal conduct.
“In the past two months alone, 400 people have been killed each week. Children are being killed after politicians have explained why they should be killed. The destruction is total. If this isn’t genocide, then what is?,” she says.
When asked why she attended the Cannes Film Festival, she said: “I had to come. I owe it to Fatma. I owe it to the more than 200 Palestinian journalists who’ve been killed for documenting this genocide from the inside”.
The Italian legal scholar is not in Cannes to attend the film festival as a whole. She’s there specifically to support the film Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, a documentary by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi.
The film focuses on Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassouna, who was killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike the day after the film was selected for a sidebar at Cannes (16 April) — as evidenced by the research agency, Forensic Architecture.
“Journalists are killed because they are truth-tellers,” Albenese told EUobserver.
She emphasises the role of independent media and cinema in preserving Palestinian voices.
“The media should give Palestinians a voice before they’re dead — before they become ‘comfortable victims’. Media nowadays are often ready to portray Palestinians once they’ve been killed, but not while they’re still alive and speaking with their own voices."
That, she says, is the main reason she came to Cannes — to honour those voices and keep them heard.
Asked whether the death of Hassouna might awaken public opinion, Albanese is more cautious: “I don’t think a single life or death will change the international community’s response. I only hope there will be no more Fatmas, Hassans, or Waels...”
She criticises international inaction and ongoing economic ties with Israel, which she says amount to complicity: “How long will leaders continue supporting and profiting from genocide?”
The UN rapporteur says that she is currently working on a report where she will expose the banks, the pensions funds, the tech companies and universities that are aiding and abetting Israel's violations of international law, human rights and war crimes.
And she firmly rejects the framing of Israel’s war in Gaza as self-defence. “The International Court of Justice had already ruled — before October 7 — that Israel has no right to wage war on a territory it illegally occupies. So no, this is not self-defence.”
Which, Albanese says, also means that EU officials such as Ursula von der Leyen and the foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas are complicit since the EU-relations with Israel is business as usual.
“I call for these top EU officials, and others, to face charges of complicity of war crimes over their support for Israel’s 19 month of assault on Gaza. This cannot be met with impunity”
A complaint against der Leyen for complicity of war crimes was filed at the International Court of Justice, by the Geneva International Peace Research Institute (GIPRI) in May.
Albanese has been targeted for her outspoken position. Threats against her and her family continue. “I’m from a part of Italy known for the mafia, but I never imagined that in 2025, people would be calling my house in the middle of the night, saying they’ll kill me and my children", she tells EUobserver.
Despite the personal toll, she feels a duty to speak directly to the public, given her lack of faith in the political will of UN member states.
“I have no confidence in the member states at the moment”
In response to ongoing allegations of antisemitism, including criticism of past tweets comparing Germany’s treatment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators to fascist tactics, and a controversial reply to French president Emmanuel Macron, Albanese is clear: “I have addressed many times that I am not antisemitic. I condemn the attacks on Israeli civilians.
"However, I especially condemn the genocide and ethnic cleansing being carried out by the Israeli state, not just in Gaza, but in the West Bank as well, and that with the complicity of the world leaders. The killing of children has to stop”
She calls the accusations part of a campaign against her mandate
Albanese pauses during the interview.
“I’m wondering how many Palestinians Israel will kill today, while you and I are standing here.”
In fact, at least 71 Palestinians were killed in Gaza that day, according to the civil defence ministry. Several others remain missing under the rubble.
Still, she adds: “Of course, Israel has the right to protect its citizens from attacks. But this is not protection, this is committing genocide. What Israel must do is withdraw troops, dismantle settlements, stop exploiting Palestinian resources, end control over airspace, land and sea, and pay reparations after 57 years of illegal occupation.
Albanese concludes with a direct message to citizens: “By all means, donate to humanitarian aid organisations. But remember: this is political. It is not an inevitable disaster — it is a deliberate, strategic one. There are military, economic, and political interests behind this genocide.”
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Emma Sofia Dedorson is a Paris-based journalist covering politics, culture and society in France, Spain and Italy.
Emma Sofia Dedorson is a Paris-based journalist covering politics, culture and society in France, Spain and Italy.