‘The intent is clear’: Bernie Sanders says Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

“No more genocide” says Bernie Sanders who becomes first US senator to declare Israel is committing a campaign of extermination in Gaza. The Vermont senator had previously avoided the term, now joins chorus of experts and UN panel in stating Israel’s intent to carry out a genocide of the Palestinian people.

Sanders issued a statement on his official Senate website yesterday declaring his position. “The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.”

The veteran Vermont senator, long known for his cautious criticism of Israeli policy, had previously said the term made him “queasy.” Now, citing overwhelming evidence from international experts and rights groups, Sanders has not only embraced the word but demanded an end to US complicity.

His declaration follows a groundbreaking report by an independent United Nations commission which found that Israel’s actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide, as established under the Genocide Convention. The panel concluded that there is clear intent to destroy the Palestinian people “through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”

“I agree,” said Sanders. “Over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people.”

To support his change in position, Sanders cited the horrific death toll in Gaza and intent of Israeli leaders to commit genocide. “Out of a population of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has now killed some 65,000 people and wounded roughly 164,000”, said Sanders. “The full toll is likely much higher, with many thousands of bodies buried under the rubble. A leaked classified Israeli military database indicates that 83% of those killed have been civilians. More than 18,000 children have been killed, including 12,000 aged 12 or younger”.

Sanders also drew attention to statements made by Israeli officials, including Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s reference to Palestinians as “human animals,” and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s pledge to “entirely destroy” Gaza. These, Sanders argued, reveal genocidal intent. “The very term genocide is a reminder of what can happen if we fail,” he wrote.

READ: MSF warns of escalating “genocide” in Gaza, urges urgent international action

International rights organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B’Tselem have already concluded that Israel’s conduct amounts to genocide. Legal scholars and genocide experts, such as those at the International Association of Genocide Scholars, have reached the same verdict.

The senator’s statement also sharply criticised the role of the US, including the administration of Donald Trump, in enabling a campaign of extermination. Washington has provided billions in military aid and diplomatic cover for Israel’s actions, while actively suppressing dissent at home by targeting pro-Palestinian activists and restricting student visas.

Sanders demanded an immediate ceasefire, a “massive surge” of UN-led humanitarian aid, and the recognition of a Palestinian state. He also renewed calls to end US weapons transfers to Israel, stating: “The United States must not continue sending many billions of dollars and weapons to Netanyahu’s genocidal government.”

His remarks came just hours after Vermont Representative Becca Balint became the first Jewish member of Congress to use the term genocide in relation to Gaza. “As the granddaughter of a man murdered in the Holocaust, it is not easy for me to say that,” Balint wrote.

Sanders now joins a growing number of voices in the US Congress who are using the term genocide, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Marjorie Taylor Greene. 

Last week, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley released a report following a Middle East fact-finding trip. The report concluded that Israel is conducting ethnic cleansing and warned that the United States is complicit.

Sanders’ shift also occurs as countries prepare to recognise Palestinian statehood at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly. Australia, France, Luxembourg, Malta, Canada and the UK are expected to back the measure, signalling a significant rupture in the West’s long-standing support for Israeli impunity.

“The challenge we now face is to prevent the world from descending into barbarism,” Sanders warned. “History demands that the world act with one voice to say: enough is enough. No more genocide.”

READ: EU commissioner urges action after UN inquiry declares Israel is committing genocide in Gaza