Sanders Calls Israel’s Gaza Campaign Genocide in New Editorial

In an editorial titled “It Is Genocide,” the independent Vermont senator accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of pursuing “a policy of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank,” with US support. His remarks followed a report released Tuesday by a United Nations commission of inquiry. The conflict began with Hamas’s surprise attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis, 23 months ago, the article said.

Sanders cited figures showing that about 65,000 people have been killed and roughly 164,000 wounded in Gaza, whose population is 2.2 million. He said the toll could be higher because thousands of bodies may remain under rubble. A leaked classified Israeli military database, he wrote, indicates 83% of those killed were civilians. More than 18,000 children have died, including 12,000 aged 12 or younger.

He also pointed to damage to civilian infrastructure. Sanders said satellite imagery showed 70% of Gaza’s structures destroyed, while the UN estimates 92% of housing units have been damaged or destroyed. He said most hospitals have been destroyed, nearly 1,600 healthcare workers killed, and almost 90% of water and sanitation facilities rendered inoperable. He also cited the demolition of what remains of Gaza City.

Sanders called for an immediate ceasefire, a major increase in UN-facilitated humanitarian aid and initial steps toward Palestinian statehood. He also cited dehumanizing statements by senior Israeli officials, including language describing Palestinians as “animals” and calls to erase “all of Gaza from the face of the earth.”

According to Prem Thakker of Zeteo, 20 members of Congress have now described Israel’s assault as genocide. Rep. Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat, said Wednesday that she believes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians. Sanders and Balint are the first Jewish members of Congress to use that description, the source reported. Balint said she felt compelled to speak because many others were horrified by what they saw.