Reuters: Israeli lawyers warned evidence could back Gaza war crimes charges

US intelligence last year gathered information showing Israeli military lawyers warned of "evidence that could support war crimes charges against Israel" for its actions in Gaza, a Reuters investigation has revealed. 

The "most startling" intelligence, shared with senior US officials, raised alarm inside the Biden administration, where debates reportedly centred on whether continued arms support to Israel risked US complicity.

The report said that there were concerns that Israel was "intentionally targeting civilians and humanitarian workers", a potential war crime over which US officials expressed alarm, particularly as the "mounting civilian death toll in Gaza raised concerns that Israel’s operations might breach international legal standards on acceptable collateral damage".

Despite concern, Washington maintained military assistance because intelligence gathered by the US itself "did not prove the Israelis had intentionally killed civilians and humanitarians or blocked aid".

The report cites former officials who said legal advisers within Israel’s army questioned the legality of tactics used in Gaza, which has seen more than 69,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023.