Palestinian families filed a lawsuit against the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, accusing Washington of enabling Israel's military actions in Gaza, which have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a deepening humanitarian crisis, according to court documents.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleged that the State Department under Secretary of State Antony Blinken has deliberately circumvented a U.S. human rights law to continue funding and supporting Israeli military units accused of atrocities and war crimes in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The Leahy Laws prohibit providing U.S. military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice. Both South Africa at the World Court and Amnesty International have accused Israel of committing genocide and war crimes. Israel has denied the charges.
Washington faces criticism from human rights groups for maintaining its support for Israel with no major policy changes.
"The State Department's calculated failure to apply the Leahy Law is particularly shocking in the face of the unprecedented escalation of Israeli gross violations of human rights since the Gaza War erupted on October 7, 2023," the lawsuit said.
Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has killed over 45,000 people, according to the local Health Ministry. Israel's assault has also displaced nearly Gaza's entire 2.3 million population and caused a hunger crisis.
The war was triggered by the Hamas incursion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which caused 1,200 deaths and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
The lawsuit was filed by five Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the United States. The lead plaintiff was a Gaza teacher who has been displaced seven times in the current war and lost 20 family members, the lawsuit says.
The State Department declined to comment and referred reporters to the Justice Department, which had no immediate comment.
