🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
While sharing a report that alleges Israeli forces killed 11 unarmed Palestinian civilians, U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib slammed the United States for "funding these massacres."
As heavy fighting continues between U.S. ally Israel and militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calls to end the bloodshed have been escalating. Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, has been vocal about her support for a ceasefire.
The high number of Palestinian deaths has provoked accusations of Israeli war crimes and genocide on the premise that civilians are being intentionally targeted in Gaza, which was home to more than 2 million people at the start of the conflict.
In November, Tlaib sparked controversy over her comments on the Israel-Hamas war, prompting the House of Representatives to censure the Michigan Democrat. The congresswoman came under fire after defending the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" and urging lawmakers to join her in calling for a ceasefire.
Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to representatives for Tlaib for comment.
After Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages, the Middle Eastern nation subsequently declared war, carrying out extensive airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza while also cutting off supplies of water, food and electricity.
More than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's war against Hamas and more than 53,000 have been wounded, according to health officials in Gaza.
Israel has vowed to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed and removed from power in Gaza and all hostages are freed.
While Tlaib said she condemns Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israeli citizens, she has called the war a "genocide" of Palestinians.
On Sunday, Tlaib took to Instagram to condemn recent reports of alleged Israel Defense Forces (IDF) violence against Palestinian civilians. In a post to Instagram Stories, the congresswoman shared a recent report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The OHCHR report released on December 20 alleges that an IDF unit "summarily killed at least 11 unarmed Palestinian men" in front of their family members in Gaza's Al Remal neighborhood.
Tlaib lashed out at the U.S. government for "funding these massacres," in the post to her Instagram Stories on Sunday.
"This is sick and it should make us all angry that our country is funding these massacres," the congresswoman said.
The UN human rights office said the alleged incident occurred on December 19 and "raises alarm about the possible commission of a war crime. This comes in the wake of earlier allegations concerning the deliberate targeting and killing of civilians at the hands of Israeli forces."
A spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) told Newsweek in an email on Monday that the office received information on the alleged summary killing from "a number of sources, including relatives, raising allegations of serious misconduct which we assessed as sufficiently credible to warrant further inquiry."
The OHCHR told Newsweek that it is still gathering information on the incident and urges Israeli authorities to conduct a "prompt and thorough investigation."
The civilians were sheltering in a building when the IDF allegedly separated the men from the women and children before gunning down at least 11 of the men, according to the OHCHR report. After shooting the men, the IDF then allegedly ordered the women and children into a room, and "either shot at them or threw a grenade into the room," seriously injuring several people, including a baby. OHCHR said in an online statement that it has confirmed the killings but noted that the details and circumstances of the killings are "still under verification." IDF has not released any information on the incident.
An IDF spokesperson told Newsweek in an email on Monday that it is "not familiar with the details of the event as described, and categorically denies these allegations of its forces committing intentional harm to uninvolved individuals."
IDF said that an incident occurred during a search of a building where shots were "fired at an IDF soldier who was severely injured."
Upon reaching the building, the soldiers identified civilians, including several women and children and evacuated them outside, according to the IDF statement, which notes that "several suspects" were transferred to a secured area under guard for questioning and were released after.
"After the evacuation of civilians from the building, the forces continued their searches until encountering armed militants in one of the apartments in the building," the IDF statement said. "A firefight ensued, during which three soldiers were injured, and the militants were neutralized by the force. The IDF operates in accordance with the rules of engagement and international law, taking numerous precautions to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals whenever possible."
In another Instagram post, Tlaib referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "genocidal maniac."
"Our country is funding this genocidal maniac," she said in the post to Instagram Stories.
As social media platforms and news outlets are filled with content from war-torn Gaza, the gut-wrenching clips showing civilians suffering have continued to ignite demands for a ceasefire across the international community. U.S. officials have also repeatedly called on Israel to do more to protect civilians, with President Joe Biden warning earlier this month that Israel risked losing global support. Despite the warning, the Democratic president emphasized that U.S. backing for its longstanding ally remained solid.
Biden has stood by Israel amid the conflict, supporting the country's right to defend itself. The president requested that Congress allocate more than $14 billion for Israel, in addition to the $3.8 billion Israel receives from the U.S. annually. He has also requested more than $100 million in humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to Biden's representatives for comment.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday that the violence in Israel and Gaza has "created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma."
He urged the international community to uphold its "responsibility to use all its influence" to curb further escalation and end the conflict.
Update 12/25/23, 4:41 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Maura Zurick is the Newsweek Weekend Night Editor based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her focus is reporting on U.S. national news ... Read more