HRW Warns U.S. Military Support for Israel May Lead to War Crime Accountability
Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a stark warning on August 26, 2025, stating that U.S. military involvement in Israel’s operations in Gaza could expose Washington to legal accountability for war crimes. The organization asserts that the U.S. has effectively become “a party to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian armed groups” through its provision of intelligence, coordination, and operational planning support to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), reports 24brussels.
In a detailed statement, Sarah Yager, HRW’s Washington director, highlighted that U.S. military and intelligence personnel, along with contractors assisting Israeli forces, may face criminal charges for their roles in atrocities committed in Gaza. Both former President Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump have acknowledged the military collaboration, with Biden confirming that he had “ordered U.S. special forces personnel and our intelligence officers to work side by side with their Israeli counterparts” to target Hamas leaders.
HRW further emphasized that U.S. arms sales to Israel have continued seamlessly under both the Biden and Trump administrations, with these weapons reportedly employed in operations classified as war crimes. According to the Costs of War Project at Brown University, U.S. military assistance to Israel reached at least $17.9 billion between October 2023 and October 2024. In early 2025, the Trump administration approved an additional $4 billion weapons package, releasing previously withheld shipments of 1,800 MK-84 bombs.
Yager stressed that international law considers a nation legally complicit when it knowingly aids another in committing serious violations of wartime laws and abuses. The U.S. arms transfers, she noted, implicate the country in documented violations of the laws of war.
This statement underscores mounting concerns regarding Washington’s direct involvement in Israel’s military actions in Gaza as arms sales and intelligence cooperation persist across U.S. administrations. The implications of HRW’s findings beckon a reevaluation of U.S. foreign policy in the context of accountability and international law, particularly as global scrutiny of military interventions intensifies.
