Report: US watchdog says IDF committed ‘many hundreds’ of potential human rights violations in Gaza

A US government watchdog says in a classified report that the IDF committed “many hundreds” of potential human rights violations during the Gaza war that would take the State Department “multiple years” to review, The Washington Post reports.

The report from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General was completed several days before the Gaza ceasefire went into effect on October 10.

The report assessed the US government’s adherence to the so-called Leahy Law, which bars aid to foreign security force units credibly accused of human rights violations.

The report revealed by The Post, based on details provided by two officials, notes that the criteria for making such determinations are more stringent for Israel than for other countries and that the process includes higher-level US officials and a lengthier review. Former State Department employees critical of Israel tell The Post that the policy results in Israel avoiding accountability for rights abuses.

Israel says its troops make efforts to avoid civilian casualties, and accuses Hamas of embedding itself and its weapons among noncombatants. The IDF says it investigates allegations of violations among its troops.

While Trump has fired 17 inspectors general since returning to office, arguing that those removed were acting unfairly, the watchdogs are mandated to operate independently.

The Biden administration largely dismissed concerns of alleged rights abuses by the IDF that were raised by State Department bureaucrats, and the Trump administration is seen as even more likely to do so, given its closer relationship with Israel.

Meanwhile, the corresponding watchdog for the now-defunct US Agency for International Development is looking into alleged diversion of humanitarian assistance by Hamas and other Gaza terror groups, according to The Post.