US Senator Bernie Sanders calls Israeli attack on Gaza a genocide

US Senator Bernie Sanders has publicly called Israel's attack on Gaza a 'genocide' for the first time. In a statement released on Wednesday, he said that Israel is waging not a limited war against Hamas in its two-year military campaign, but an all-out destruction against the entire Palestinian people.

The British daily The Guardian reported that Bernie Sanders is the first US senator to publicly take this position. Earlier, the UN Independent Investigation Committee said in a report that Israel's actions in Gaza fall within the definition of genocide. Bernie Sanders expressed full support for the UN report and said, "It is genocide. The intention is clear."

He noted that in the past two years, about 65,000 of the 2.2 million people in Gaza have been killed and 164,000 injured. Eighty-three percent of the dead were civilians, as documented by the Israeli military’s own database. Bernie Sanders cited Israeli leaders, including former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who called Palestinians “animals” and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who publicly declared that “Gaza will be completely destroyed.”

Sanders said that Israel had the right to defend itself after the events of October 7, 2023. But using that incident as a pretext to launch a horrific attack against civilians is a clear violation of international law and human rights.

He added, “The United States can no longer be blamed for the Israeli aggression on Palestine. We must recognize it as genocide and ensure an immediate ceasefire, the delivery of humanitarian aid under UN supervision, and the first steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

Earlier, several members of the US House of Representatives also opposed the ongoing operation in Gaza, calling it genocide. They include Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene and Vermont Congressional Secretary Becca Balint.