'Unequivocally disagree': US dismisses UN report labeling Israel's Gaza warfare as genocide

Hours after a special UN committee report claimed that Israel’s warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, the United States on Thursday said it disagreed with the findings.

“That is something we would unequivocally disagree with,” AFP quoted State Department spokesman Vedant Patel as saying.

“We think that that kind of phrasing and those kind of accusations are certainly unfounded,” added Patel.

In its report released on Thursday, the UN Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices said Israel’s warfare in Gaza was consistent with the characteristics of genocide and accused the country of “using starvation as a method of war”.

The UN Special Committee pointed to “mass civilian casualties and life-threatening conditions intentionally imposed on Palestinians”, covering the period from Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attack in Israel to July.

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The committee said Israel’s siege, blocking of aid, and targeted attacks and killing of civilians, despite UN and International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders, was “intentionally causing death, starvation and serious injury”.

“Since the war began, Israeli officials have openly endorsed policies that deprive Palestinians of essential resources needed for survival – including food, water, and fuel,” the committee said in a statement.

“These declarations, coupled with the systematic and unlawful obstruction of humanitarian aid, underscore Israel’s apparent intent to leverage life-saving supplies for political and military purposes,” the statement added.

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It’s not the first time Israel has faced such accusations.

South Africa brought a case before the ICJ last year, arguing the Gaza war breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, an accusation Israel has denied.

A UN-backed assessment at the weekend warned famine was imminent in northern Gaza, the site of an intense Israeli offensive since early October.

The operation had forced at least 100,000 people to flee northern Gaza for Gaza City and nearby areas, AFP quoted UN Palestinian refugee agency spokeswoman Louise Wateridge as saying.

The US also voiced concern after ally Israel struck Hezbollah sites in the Beirut suburbs, saying it opposed attacks in densely populated parts of Lebanon.

“Certainly we would have concerns,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said when asked about the Israeli strikes.

“You’ve heard us say time and time again that we do not want to see these kinds of (military) operations in Beirut, especially as it relates to densely populated areas.”

With inputs from agencies