In a government report, the United States for the first time acknowledged possible human rights violations in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli military, the Washington Post newspaper claims, citing unnamed American officials.
“The findings of the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. State Department mark the first time that a U.S. government report recognizes the extent of Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip that fall under the Leahy Laws, legislation prohibiting the United States from providing security assistance to foreign military units reasonably accused of gross human rights violations,” the newspaper reports.
In particular, a classified report by an American monitoring body says that the Israeli military has potentially committed hundreds of violations that fall under US law. The State Department will need several years to study these incidents, sources say.
At the end of November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip. The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber rejected Israel’s arguments, which sought to challenge the ICC’s jurisdiction to issue warrants against its citizens and investigate the situation in Palestine in general.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on sanctions against the ICC for actions against Washington and its allies, including Israel.