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Frankly, you are not defending empirical truth, you are trying to have a linguistics debate. That's not remotely the same thing.

But even in your linguistics debate, the statement "it's not by definition a genocide" is not as clear cut as you are trying to make it.

Some excerpts taken from the (rather extensive) Wikipedia page regarding the Allegations of genocide in the 2023 Israeli attack on Gaza:

Legal definition of genocide: The 1948 Genocide Convention defines genocide as any of five "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".[18][19] The acts in question include killing members of the group, causing them serious bodily or mental harm, imposing living conditions intended to destroy the group, preventing births, and forcibly transferring children out of the group.[18] Genocide is a crime of special intent ("dolus specialis"); it is carried out deliberately, with victims targeted based on real or perceived membership in a protected group.[19]

Alleged genocidal actions: Since 7 October 2023, the IDF has been accused of the extrajudicial killing of Palestinian unarmed detainees,[48][49] doctors,[50] and workers, making threats of mutilation,[51] death, arson, rape,[52] and torturing Palestinians detained without legal charges.[53][54] It has also been accused of using excessive force against dozens of schools[55] and hospitals,[56] theft,[54] the cruel and unnecessary desecration and mutilation of deceased Palestinians,[50] and making no, or an inadequate distinction between Hamas forces and civilians.[57] During the fighting, Channel 14 kept a count of every Palestinian killed, labelling all Palestinian casualties as terrorists,[58] while Shimon Riklin, a Channel 14 journalist and anchor, publicly advocated Israel committing more war crimes.[58][59]

So in a lot of ways, it sure looks like a genocide. And it goes beyond just allegations.

On 26 January 2024, the ICJ issued a preliminary ruling finding that the claims in South Africa's filing (accusing Israel of genocide) were "plausible"

Finally, I think this bit sums up it up nicely.

Russian-American author, Masha Gessen, when asked if what was happening in Gaza was a genocide said, "I think there are some fine distinctions between genocide and ethnic cleansing and I think that there are valid arguments for using both terms".[167] When pressed further they stated, "it is at the very least ethnic cleansing".

So if you are looking to die on the hill of your linguistics debate, you do you. But the actions taking place are unarguably morally wrong.