Genocide in the Hebrew Bible

Several passages in the Hebrew Bible are interpreted as referring to genocide that God commanded the Israelites commit, notably the case of Amalek, and the Canaanites. Various interpretations have been given of these passages throughout history, with some interpretations holding the commandments as necessary or allegorical. Critics of Christianity and Judaism have often cited the passages to prove that the biblical god was a malevolent being. Still others have invoked the passage to incite genocide or ethnic cleansing against religious or ethnic minorities, such as was done during the Rwandan genocide. A reference to the commandment by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel–Hamas war was cited as proof of genocide in the Gaza strip in South Africa's genocide case against Israel. In mainstream scholarship, the passages are not seen as entirely historically accurate.