The US government has evidence of hundreds of possible human rights violations by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, The Washington Post reported, citing a classified report from the US State Department's Office of Inspector General.
According to the newspaper, the report contains information showing that the Israeli military has committed hundreds of possible human rights violations, the investigation of which "will take years". The publication emphasizes that this is the first report in which the US "acknowledges the scale of Israel's operations in Gaza", which falls under the Leahy Act. Under this law, the United States must not provide military assistance to foreign military units that, according to reliable information, have committed gross human rights violations.
According to The Washington Post, the report was prepared a few days before the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on October 10.
On October 9, Israel and the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Turkey, agreed to implement the first phase of the peace plan presented by US President Donald Trump. The ceasefire in Gaza came into effect on October 10. On October 13, Hamas released the 20 surviving Israeli hostages and handed over the remains of four dead prisoners. Israeli authorities expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the radicals returned only four of the 28 bodies. In the following days, Hamas handed over the bodies of 11 more Israelis to the Jewish state.