Sanders Declares Israel’s Gaza Campaign a Genocide

Senator Bernie Sanders this week described Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide, becoming the first sitting U.S. senator to use the term in connection with the ongoing conflict.

In a statement, Sanders said the evidence was “inescapable,” citing a recent United Nations commission report that concluded Israel’s actions meet the legal definition of genocide under international law, according to The Guardian. “I agree,” Sanders wrote. “It is genocide. The intent is clear.”

The Vermont senator pointed to reports that at least 65,000 Palestinians have been killed and 164,000 wounded in Gaza, with Israeli military sources estimating that civilians make up 83% of the casualties. He also referenced inflammatory statements made by Israeli officials and described the scale of Israel’s response to Hamas’s October 7 attack as “an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”

Though Sanders has long been critical of Israel’s policies, he had previously refrained from using the term “genocide.” In a July interview with CNN, he called it a “legal term” and suggested the priority should be stopping the violence rather than debating terminology.

Now, Sanders says the situation has changed. “We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people,” he wrote. He called for an immediate ceasefire, expanded UN-led humanitarian aid, and renewed efforts toward a two-state solution. He also urged the U.S. to end its military support for Israel.

Sanders joins a growing number of lawmakers, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Becca Balint, and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who have also used the term “genocide” to describe the war in Gaza.

The UN findings and Sanders’ statement come as several nations plan to recognize Palestinian statehood during the upcoming UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to strongly support Israel and has escalated scrutiny of pro-Palestinian advocacy in the U.S.

Sanders, who has previously sought to block arms sales to Israel, warned that without consequences for Israeli leaders, future atrocities could follow.

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