WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning that the bombing campaign carried out by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces raises legal questions about U.S. officials’ liability for potentially aiding and abetting war crimes.  

As noted in the Senators’ letter—which was sent on the same day Mr. Netanyahu met with President Trump at the White House—their request comes after the State Department bypassed Congressional approval and invoked an emergency declaration to send more than $8 billion in arms to Israel.  

In the last two weeks, Mr. Netanyahu said in response a question concerning remaining legitimate targets to strike in Gaza: “I don’t care about the targets,” and ordered military officials to “destroy the homes, bomb everything in Gaza.”  Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that renewed offensive military operations in Gaza aimed to increase pressure “on the population in Gaza”—inflicting additional pain on the more than two million civilians in Gaza instead of focusing on military targets. 

In their letter, the Senators requested a briefing by April 30, 2025, on the following questions: 

1. What additional intelligence or diplomatic information does the U.S. government have regarding PM Netanyahu’s and senior Israeli officials’ ordering the destruction of civilian infrastructure for punitive purposes; to intimidate civilians; to coerce civilians to move out of certain zones or to take certain actions; or to affect the conduct of de facto authorities by mass destruction? 
2. Israeli forces have destroyed more than 200,000 buildings in pursuit of a force that was estimated by their government at 10,000 to 30,000 fighters, raising questions about target distinction in a densely populated area. For how many of these over 200,000 destroyed homes and buildings have U.S. officials requested from the Israeli government the underlying intelligence justification for pre-planned airstrikes, given the licensing authority of U.S. officials to “verify credible reports” that U.S.-origin equipment and munitions have been used for unauthorized purposes? 
3. The vast majority of the more than 50,000 Palestinian deaths in the last year and a half have been civilian men, women, and children. What calculations has the U.S. government made of the tolerance by Israeli forces of expected harm against civilians in targeting low-level enemy combatants that are not actively engaged in combat activities? 

Read the full letter here and below: 

Dear Attorney General Bondi, Director Gabbard, and Secretary Rubio, 

We write to draw your attention to two concerning reports. According to a March 20 report from Israeli newspaper Ynet, Prime Minister Netanyahu, in response a question concerning remaining legitimate targets to strike in Gaza, said “I don’t care about the targets” and ordered military officials to “destroy the homes, bomb everything in Gaza. Just last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that renewed offensive military operations aim to increase pressure “on the population in Gaza.” 

As you know, the destruction of civilian homes without military necessity is a war crime under United States criminal law and international law, while U.S. law additionally outlaws the use of violence to intimidate or coerce civilians. Experts have widely noted that Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza—the bloodiest and most destructive air campaign in modern history by some measures—stands out for its wide-area destruction and targeting of civilian infrastructure. This new information raises the question of whether U.S. officials risk liability for aiding and abetting war crimes, particularly in light of the State Department bypassing Congress and invoking an emergency to send more than $8 billion in arms to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs. Accordingly, we request a briefing by April 30, 2025, on the following questions: 

1. What additional intelligence or diplomatic information does the U.S. government have regarding PM Netanyahu’s and senior Israeli officials’ ordering the destruction of civilian infrastructure for punitive purposes; to intimidate civilians; to coerce civilians to move out of certain zones or to take certain actions; or to affect the conduct of de facto authorities by mass destruction? 
2. Israeli forces have destroyed more than 200,000 buildings in pursuit of a force that was estimated by their government at 10,000 to 30,000 fighters, raising questions about target distinction in a densely populated area. For how many of these over 200,000 destroyed homes and buildings have U.S. officials requested from the Israeli government the underlying intelligence justification for pre-planned airstrikes, given the licensing authority of U.S. officials to “verify credible reports” that U.S.-origin equipment and munitions have been used for unauthorized purposes? 
3. As you know, the vast majority of the more than 50,000 Palestinian deaths in the last year and a half have been civilian men, women, and children. What calculations has the U.S. government made of the tolerance by Israeli forces of expected harm against civilians in targeting low-level enemy combatants that are not actively engaged in combat activities? 

Finally, we are deeply concerned by reports this weekend of an attempted coverup of the killing of 15 Palestinian first aid responders in marked ambulances—that were bulldozed into a mass grave. Israeli officials claimed to have struck Hamas militants in unlit vehicles, but video evidence on victims’ phones unearthed at the site indicates that those killed were uniformed first responders in marked and well-lit ambulances with emergency signals activated. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies noted that the incident “represents the single most deadly attack on Red Cross Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017. We urge you to insist that PM Netanyahu promptly inform the Administration and Congress of his plan to hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack. 

Sincerely, 

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