More than 75 senior retired US generals, admirals, and military lawyers have signed an open letter rejecting claims that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, saying that the facts and applicable legal standard do not support such a finding.
The signatories, including retired officers who commanded US armed forces in combat, wrote in the October 7 letter: “As retired senior military leaders and legal experts, on this, the third anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 brutal attack on Israel, we reject claims that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.”
The letter states that a finding of genocide requires evidence of acts intended to destroy a protected national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, in whole or in part. The signatories said Israel “has neither intended to, nor destroyed, Palestinians as a group in Gaza,” and argued that the evidence points to the contrary.
AFSI Insight
AFSI welcomes the statement from more than 75 retired U.S. military leaders and legal experts rejecting allegations that Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Their assessment reinforces what AFSI has maintained: Israel’s war is against Hamas and other terrorist organizations—not the “Palestinian” people—and accusations of genocide ignore the realities of a conflict in which Hamas deliberately operates among civilians. Misusing the term “genocide” not only distorts the facts but risks undermining the ability of Israel and other democracies to defend themselves against terrorism.