US does not believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza: Defense chief

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US does not believe Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, defense chief Lloyd Austin said Tuesday.

"We don't have any evidence of genocide being created," Austin said at a Senate hearing on the Pentagon’s budget request.

Austin reiterated that the US is committed to assisting Israel in defending its territory and people by providing security assistance.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 33,200 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 76,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.