Five Palestinian families filed a complaint against the US State Department over Washington’s military aid to Israel.

Five Palestinian families on Tuesday filed a complaint against the US State Department over Washington’s military aid to Israel, citing a US law that prohibits arming any foreign military force if it is accused of violating human rights.

The complaint, which the State Department must respond to within 60 days, calls for the law to be applied to Israel, which the complainants and rights groups say has been unlawfully exempted from the law.

“The Leahy Laws prohibit providing US military assistance to individuals or security force units that commit gross violations of human rights and have not been brought to justice,” Reuters news agency reported.

Since the start of the Israeli genocide on the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the US government has enacted laws allowing it to provide the equivalent of $12.5 billion in military aid to its strategic ally.

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One of the plaintiffs, a Palestinian-American man named Saeed Asali, said during a press conference in Washington that his aunt was killed along with her six children in an Israeli raid on Gaza City, noting that American weapons were used in carrying out the raid.

“Our families have paid a heavy price for the State Department’s refusal to enforce its own laws,” he added. 

Two former State Department employees told reporters that US officials apply an informal rule called the “Israeli exception” when it comes to reviewing Israel’s military actions, Al Mayadeen reported.

One of these employees, Charles Blahha, said: 

“The truth is that Israel abides by different rules. The State Department has created this unique, cumbersome and high-level process .. which only applies to Israel.”

The State Department declined to comment and referred reporters to the Justice Department, which had no immediate comment, Reuters said. 

Amnesty International has recently stated that Israel has “committed genocide” against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

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Last November, the International Criminal Court also issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Security Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Genocide Continues

Meanwhile, the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip continued with the death toll among starved and besieged Palestinian civilians rising daily.  

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, 2023. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 45,059 Palestinians have been killed, and 107,041 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7, 2023.

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Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. However, Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children. 

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern region. 

(PC, Al Mayadeen)