The United States has rejected a claim by Human Rights Watch (HRW) that Israel is committing acts of genocide in Gaza through the destruction of water infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said, “When it comes to a determination of something like genocide, the legal standard is just incredibly high, and so the finding in this scenario we just disagree with.”
Patel acknowledged the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza but distanced the US from the allegations in the HRW report, which follows a similar accusation by Amnesty International.
The criticism of Israel intensified with a separate report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which accused the country of ethnic cleansing in its ongoing invasion and airstrikes in Gaza. The medical group reported 41 attacks on MSF staff, including airstrikes on health facilities and gunfire on humanitarian convoys.
While Patel distanced the US from MSF’s accusations, he highlighted the importance of civil society organisations like Doctors Without Borders. Patel also noted that MSF acknowledged its inability to determine the intent behind the alleged attacks.
The accusations come during mounting international scrutiny of the humanitarian toll in Gaza. Patel reiterated the US’s supposed concern about the scale of civilian harm in the conflict but refrained from endorsing the claims of genocide or ethnic cleansing.
The situation in Gaza remains one of the most contentious global issues, with calls for accountability and intensified efforts to address the humanitarian crisis and halt Israeli offensives in the area.
