US senators accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing in Gaza; says country complicit in mass destruction, displacement

Two senior Democratic senators have accused Israel of pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Gaza, with direct complicity from the United States. Senators Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jeff Merkley of Oregon published their findings in a stinging report after a recent fact-finding mission to the Middle East.

The report accuses Israel of orchestrating a campaign of systematic destruction, mass displacement and the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid. The senators conclude that Washington’s military and financial support makes it complicit in the crisis.

Van Hollen and Merkley describe Gaza as a territory deliberately stripped of the means to sustain life. They say they witnessed Rafah, once home to more than 270,000 people, reduced to rubble. Former Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers gave first-hand accounts of what they called a systematic demolition campaign, involving the use of explosives to destroy entire city blocks, homes, schools, and other civilian sites.

According to the senators, over 90 per cent of Gaza’s housing stock, hospitals, schools, and water and sanitation systems have been destroyed. They reject official claims that residents have left “voluntarily,” describing such assertions as a “cruel hoax” when the conditions for survival no longer exist. They cite statements by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Gideon Sa’ar, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, calling for the destruction of Gaza and the removal or relocation of its population.

A central finding of the report is the deliberate obstruction of humanitarian assistance, which the senators characterise as collective punishment. Between March and May this year, a 78-day blockade halted all food and humanitarian supplies. In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported famine in Gaza Governorate, with the United Nations confirming at least 100 famine-related deaths.

Only two entry points, Kerem Shalom and Zikim, are consistently open for more than two million people. The once extensive UN distribution system has been replaced by just four Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid points, concentrated in the south, say the senators. This has led to desperate crowds and at least 1,373 deaths between May and July, many caused by Israeli forces. Médecins Sans Frontières described these incidents as “orchestrated killing.”

At the Port of Ashdod, 2,200 containers of food remain held up by lengthy screening processes. The Jordan Corridor, despite receiving American investment, operates at less than 10 per cent capacity because of new customs fees and arbitrary rejections. Screening facilities funded by Washington in Jordan lie idle while an Israeli private contractor now manages checks at Allenby Bridge, causing further delays.

The senators warn that the absence of a clear list of prohibited “dual-use” items has resulted in rejections of essential goods such as medical supplies, tents, water pumps, wheelchairs, and even food products, including honey and dates. Aid convoys from Jordan have been attacked by settlers despite IDF escorts, with a third targeted in recent months.

Inside Gaza, aid distribution is severely constrained. UN agencies are limited to three main roads, while most of their warehouses lie within designated military zones. More than 500 aid workers have been killed, according to international agencies. The scarcity has fostered what groups describe as “the rule of the strongest,” leaving the weakest without assistance. Non-governmental organisations report a sevenfold increase in malnutrition and thousands of children at risk of death.

The two senators argue that American support has enabled these policies. But they also pointed towards the growing opposition among the Democrats about Israeli policies. For instance, a majority of Democratic senators voted against recent arms sales to Israel. The senators have demanded an immediate truce in Gaza along with the return of hostages. They blamed Netanyahu for placing his political survival ahead of the safety of the hostages.

Van Hollen and Merkley have called upon the international community to step in more actively, saying it has both a moral and legal duty to intervene. “The world must impose penalties and costs on those responsible for this ethnic cleansing,” they write, warning that failure to act will deepen the crisis and stain America’s credibility.