The U.S. State Department has identified five Israeli military units responsible for serious human rights violations that occurred outside the Gaza Strip prior to the outbreak of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas in October last year.
Vidant Patel, Deputy Spokesperson for the State Department, told reporters that four of the units effectively addressed the violations, while Israel provided additional information about the fifth unit, with ongoing discussions between the U.S. and the Israeli government.
The U.S. State Department stated that the corrective actions taken by these four units prevent the likelihood of U.S. sanctions being imposed on them. Patel noted that consultations continue with the Israeli government regarding the fifth unit involved, which committed violations against Palestinians in the Israeli army.
The U.S. official declined to specify these units or the sanctions imposed by Israel on them.
Media reports particularly accused the ‘Netzach Yehuda’ battalion, which is largely composed of ultra-Orthodox soldiers. U.S. law prohibits the government from providing funding or arms to foreign security force units when there is credible information that they have been involved in human rights violations.
For over six months, the Israeli military has been waging a war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the conflict, and on the Lebanese border where nearly daily exchanges of fire occur with Iran-backed Hezbollah.
The situation in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023, has been dire, with widespread reports of humanitarian violations. The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the conditions as involving clear violations of international humanitarian law, driven by Israel’s intense bombardment and siege tactics, which have severely restricted supplies of water, food, fuel, and electricity to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. The UN has characterized these actions as a form of collective punishment.
The humanitarian crisis has deepened, with over 1.9 million people internally displaced, creating severe shortages of basic necessities. Hospitals and essential infrastructure have been hit hard, with only a handful of medical facilities still operational. Reports indicate that the entire civilian population is affected by the siege, contributing to catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
Human Rights Watch and other organizations have reported that the Israeli military actions in southern Gaza have led to “apocalyptic” conditions, severely hampering any effective humanitarian response. Satellite imagery reviewed by Human Rights Watch showed the razing of orchards, greenhouses, and farmland in northern Gaza, exacerbating food insecurity and the loss of livelihoods.
