WASHINGTON, 19 Sept. - (ANA) - US Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday publicly called Israel's horrific war on Gaza a genocide for the first time.

 

This is the first time a US senator has accused Israel of waging a genocidal campaign in Gaza, following a UN Commission of Inquiry’s conclusion this week that Israel has committed genocide in the enclave. 

 

Rights groups, NGOs, and scholars have previously said the same thing.

 

The veteran senator released a statement on his official Senate website declaring his position, writing: "The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza."

 

He added: "Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people."

 

Sanders pointed to the mounting civilian toll in Gaza and statements by Israeli leaders as evidence of genocidal intent.  

 

"Out of a population of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has now killed some 65,000 people and wounded roughly 164,000," he wrote. 

 

"The full toll is likely much higher, with many thousands of bodies buried under the rubble. A leaked classified Israeli military database indicates that 83% of those killed have been civilians. More than 18,000 children have been killed, including 12,000 aged 12 or younger."

 

He also cited inflammatory remarks by Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s description of Palestinians as "human animals" and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s vow to "entirely destroy" Gaza, which he said exposed genocidal intent.  

 

"The very term genocide is a reminder of what can happen if we fail," Sanders wrote. 

 

Sanders had long faced criticism for resisting using the term "genocide," saying last year that it made him "queasy" when protesters used it during his past address in Ireland.  

 

His new position marks a drastic shift and he has recently also escalated his criticism of US policy. 

 

He accused the current Trump administration of complicity in Israel’s war through military and diplomatic support and pointed to crackdowns on pro-Palestine activism in the US, including restrictions on student visas. 

 

"We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people," Sanders said. 

 

"That is why I have worked with a number of my Senate colleagues to force votes on seven Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to stop offensive arms sales to Israel. The United States must not continue sending many billions of dollars and weapons to Netanyahu’s genocidal government."

 

While his efforts in the Senate to block arms sales have so far failed, they have garnered significant Democratic backing. 

 

Sanders now joins a small but growing group of lawmakers who have used the term genocide to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza.  

 

They include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, and fellow Vermonter Becca Balint.  

 

Balint, the first Jewish member of Congress to use the term in relation to Gaza, wrote in an op-ed for The Courier: "Today, I believe the Israeli government is committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. As the granddaughter of a man murdered in the Holocaust, it is not easy for me to say that."

 

Meanwhile, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley recently issued a report after a fact-finding mission to the Middle East, concluding that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing and warning that the US is complicit. 

 

The Trump administration has continued to express firm support for Israel. During his visit this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged "unwavering support" and reiterated Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem, including the occupied Palestinian eastern half of the city, as Israel’s "eternal capital." 

 

Public opinion in the US, however, appears to be shifting.  

 

An Associated Press poll released Thursday found that more Americans now believe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has "gone too far" compared with the start of the war. 

 

The shift comes as Israel expands its ground offensive in Gaza City, devastating large parts of the territory, displacing around 90% of the population and fuelling a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.  

 

UN experts have declared a famine in Gaza City, while UN rights chief Volker Turk also warned this week that evidence of genocide in the territory is mounting.   - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/19 September 2025 - - -