WASHINGTON

A group of Democratic senators urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday to account for what they described as “many hundreds” of potential violations of US human rights law by Israeli military units in Gaza, citing findings from a classified State Department report.

In their letter, led by Senators Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the lawmakers noted that a classified report by the State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which was reported by The Washington Post last month, “found that Israeli military units committed ‘many hundreds’ of potential violations of U.S. human rights law in the Gaza Strip that would take the State Department ‘multiple years’ to review.”

“Given these findings, we urge you to quickly implement the OIG’s recommendations and adjudicate these cases in a timely manner in order to ensure compliance with U.S. law,” they added.

The lawmakers noted that delays in reviewing incidents of killing, torture and other abuses risk undermining US laws that bar security assistance to foreign military units credibly accused of such violations.

“Without effective enforcement mechanisms, these laws and policies become meaningless,” the lawmakers wrote.

Senators Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Peter Welch, Brian Schatz, Tim Kaine, Patty Murray, Tina Smith and Ed Markey also signed the letter.

The senators asked Rubio to respond by Dec. 9 with detailed plans to review potential Leahy violations by Israeli security units, including what additional resources would be needed and how vetting protocols would be revised to ensure uniformity across countries.

A State Department official told the Post that the department “is aware of and complies with its legal obligations.” The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

The US has not ruled any Israeli unit ineligible for assistance under the Leahy Laws despite high-profile incidents still pending review, including the killings of World Central Kitchen aid workers in April 2024 and more than 100 Palestinians near Gaza City in February 2024 as they gathered around aid trucks.

The Leahy Law, named after former Senator Patrick Leahy, requires the US to withhold military assistance from foreign military or law enforcement units if there is credible evidence of human rights violations.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed nearly 70,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured 171,000 others in a brutal war that has left much of the enclave in ruins.