Palestinians file lawsuit over US aid to Israel's military: Report

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) - Five Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank, and the US on Tuesday sued the US government to stop supplying aid to the Israeli military, citing human rights abuses, according to a report.

The lawsuit claims the US State Department violated a federal law banning funding for foreign military units involved in extrajudicial killings and torture, Al Jazeera reported.

"The State Department’s calculated failure to apply the Leahy Law is particularly shocking in the face of the unprecedented escalation of Israeli (human rights violations) since the Gaza War erupted on October 7, 2023," the lawsuit says.

The lead plaintiff, a Gaza teacher using the pseudonym Amal Gaza, has been displaced seven times since the war began, with 20 family members killed in Israeli attacks.

The case revolves around the Leahy Law, a 1997 federal rule prohibiting the US government from funding foreign military units linked to "credible information" of severe human rights violations.

According to a State Department factsheet, these violations include torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and rape.

Israel has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed more than 45,000 people, most of them women and children, since an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former defense chief Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.