October 31, 2025 | 08:03 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The United States has, for the first time, acknowledged that the Israeli military may have committed human rights violations "many hundreds" of times in Gaza, according to a confidential assessment by the US State Department.
Citing an Anadolu report on Thursday, The Washington Post revealed that the findings by the State Department's Inspector General represent the first report from the US government to state explicitly that Israel's actions could be subject to the Leahy Law. This law prohibits the US from providing assistance to foreign security forces implicated in human rights violations.
Two unnamed US officials, speaking anonymously due to the report's confidential nature, claimed that investigations into these numerous cases could take years.
The findings also raise serious concerns regarding accountability, given the sheer number of incidents and the fact that the review process has been handed over entirely to Israel.
"What worries me is that accountability will be forgotten now that the noise of the conflict is dying down," said Charles Blaha, a former official at the US State Department who monitored the implementation of the Leahy Law.
The report was completed just before a ceasefire agreement was reached between Hamas and Israel. This agreement included the release of Israeli hostages, the exchange of Palestinian detainees, a limited withdrawal of the Israeli military, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Leahy Law, named after its main proponent, Senator Patrick Leahy, aims to prevent US assistance from funding foreign military units involved in torture, extrajudicial killings, or other serious human rights violations.
The previous US administration under President Joe Biden stated it had not reached "definitive conclusions" about whether US-made weapons were used in human rights violations in Gaza.
The US provides approximately US$3.8 billion in annual aid to Israel. With additional billions in aid and weapon sales in recent years, Israel has become the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign assistance.
The two unnamed US officials further stated that the confidential report revealed the existence of a special screening system, used by both Democratic and Republican administrations, that provides greater flexibility and favoritism toward Israel.
Josh Paul, a former US State Department official, explained that while a single violation can suspend military aid to another country, in the case of Israel, US authorities must "come to a consensus on whether a gross violation of human rights has occurred."
"To date, the US has not withheld any assistance to any Israeli unit despite clear evidence," he said.
The Biden administration previously faced criticism for continuing to provide aid to Israeli military units allegedly involved in violence, including units implicated in the death of Palestinian-American civilian Omar Assad (78) in 2022 after he was detained at a West Bank checkpoint.
The Israeli military stated at the time that Assad died of a heart attack triggered by stress after being bound and gagged, referring to the incident as a "moral failure and poor decision-making."
The renewed focus on the Leahy Law has been driven by the conflict in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, which has resulted in the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinian citizens.
Since taking office, Trump has targeted the government’s independent oversight officials, removing 17 presidentially appointed inspectors general.
Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 68,500 people since October 2023, has put the Leahy Laws under scrutiny.
Key cases deemed in need of review include the killing of seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid workers by Israel in April 2024, and the deaths of over a hundred Palestinian citizens while gathering near an aid truck near Gaza City in February 2024.
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