Lawyers argue that Israel may have violated US arms export control laws, as well as the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit disproportionate attacks on civilians, the report said on Monday, citing lawyers’ letter. In addition, they urged the US Department of Justice to investigate potential war crimes that US citizens could have committed while serving in the Israeli army, the report added.
“The law is clear and aligned with the majority of Americans who believe the US should cease arms shipments to Israel until it stops its military operation in Gaza,” the newspaper reported, quoting the letter.
In total, the letter was signed by lawyers from various departments, including the US State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as from the European Commission and the private sector.
Israel has waged a brutal offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,600 others injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.
More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
