US rejects Amnesty’s characterization of Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide

The US rejects Amnesty International’s characterization of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza as a genocide, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel says during a press briefing.

“We disagree with the conclusions of such a report. We have said previously and continue to find the allegations of genocide to be unfounded,” Patel says.

He stresses that the US still believes that rights groups play a critical role in providing analysis on what is happening in Gaza, even if Washington disagrees with their findings in this particular instance. Patel also says the US disagrees with the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s characterization of Amnesty International as “deplorable.”

And while the US doesn’t view the war in Gaza as a genocide, it remains very concerned about the humanitarian situation there and will continue to remind Israel that it has a moral and strategic responsibility to comply with international law, Patel says.