U.S. State Department on Thursday dismissed claims raised in an Amnesty International report alleging that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
"We disagree with the conclusions of such a report," State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told a press briefing. "We have said previously and continue to find the allegations of genocide are unfounded."
3 View gallery
A year of heavy fighting has reduced large parts of Gaza in rubble
(Photo: Bashar TALEB / AFP)
Patel acknowledged the importance of international organizations in monitoring the situation in Gaza but emphasized that the U.S. does not share Amnesty’s interpretation. "That does not change the continued concern we have as it relates to the humanitarian situation in Gaza," he added. "The best thing that can happen, if we want to see improvement in the humanitarian conditions in Gaza... is for the parties to work toward an agreement to stop the war."
In its report, entitled "You Feel Like You Are Subhuman," the human rights group alleges that Israel’s actions constitute a violation of the Genocide Convention, claiming intentional destruction of Gaza’s Palestinian population.
The report accuses Israel of systematically treating Palestinians as subhuman, with deliberate acts of killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction in whole or in part. It highlights allegations of starvation, forced displacement, relentless bombings and prevention of humanitarian aid.
Amnesty’s investigation claims Israel displaced 1.9 million people in Gaza over the past year, with some individuals uprooted up to 10 times. The report further alleges that 42,000 Gazans, including 13,300 children, have been killed, with 97,000 injured, in what it describes as an unprecedented scale of destruction in the 21st century.
The report claims Israeli bombardments "often wip[ed] out entire multigenerational families" and made large swaths of Gaza "uninhabitable."
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
Amnesty accuses Israel of using “intentional starvation" to expose Gazans to “slow and calculated death,” rejecting Israel’s claims that Hamas uses civilians as human shields. The organization also contends that the destruction of Gaza’s population, even under the guise of targeting Hamas, demonstrates genocidal intent.
The IDF rejected the findings of the report, which includes interviews with 212 witnesses and victims' families, alongside data from Palestinian authorities.
"The allegations presented in the report are entirely baseless and disregard the operational realities the IDF faces. Since Hamas's unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, the IDF has been working to dismantle Hamas's terror infrastructure while adhering to its obligations under international law. The IDF takes every possible measure to minimize harm to civilians during its operations. These steps include evacuation warnings for civilians in combat zones and ensuring safe passage to designated areas," the military said in a statement.
"The IDF’s efforts, led by the Civilian Harm Mitigation Unit, involve issuing early warnings, assisting civilians who heed these warnings in relocating, and ensuring their welfare after reaching safe areas. These efforts are substantial. Additionally, the IDF has been implementing lessons learned during the war to continuously improve existing processes. The accusations in the report of genocide and intentional harm are unfounded and ignore Hamas’s violations of international law, including its use of civilians as human shields and deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians. The IDF remains committed to conducting its operations in accordance with international law."
The Israeli chapter of Amnesty has also expressed sharp disagreement with the international organization’s conclusions, highlighting internal tensions.
In a separate note, Amnesty International called for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas and accountability for those responsible for the October 7 attacks. The organization said those events would be the focus of a forthcoming report.