Wendy Sherman Accuses Benjamin Netanyahu of Genocide in Gaza, Says Washington Is Complicit

Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing “genocide” in Gaza and said Washington is complicit, in remarks carried by Bloomberg and repeated across multiple outlets.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Sherman said Netanyahu's policies led to genocide in Gaza and destabilized the Middle East, and that the United States is part of this process, while also arguing that U.S. policy toward Israel is “intertwined” and needs reassessment.

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The Palestinian Media Center reported that Sherman held Netanyahu responsible for “genocide” in Gaza and accused the United States of complicity, framing her comments as coming as criticism grows of U.S. military and political support for Israel.

Middle East Monitor similarly said Sherman accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and said the United States is complicit, citing figures from Gaza’s health authorities that “817 Palestinians have been killed and 2,296 wounded” in violations of a ceasefire agreement since it came into effect.

Democracy Now! quoted Sherman directly, saying: “I think that it is critical that Israel remain an ally of the United States and that we protect the right of a Jewish state. But I also believe that the prime minister has led us down a road, and we have been part of it, that has, in essence, created a genocide in Gaza.”

Le Club de Mediapart likewise reported that Sherman told Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain Show that Netanyahu “led us on a path, which we participated in, that has in substance led to a genocide in Gaza and destabilized the Middle East,” and it included her clarification that she could not legally state whether it “literally constitutes genocide.”

The outlets that carried Sherman’s remarks also anchored them in casualty and destruction figures tied to ceasefire violations and the longer war timeline.

The Palestinian Media Center said Israel has killed 817 Palestinians and injured 2,296 others in violations of the ceasefire since it came into effect, and it described the agreement as reached after “two years of genocide war begun by Israel on October 8, 2023, with American support.”

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It further claimed that the war left “more than 72,000 martyrs and more than 172,000 injured,” and that devastation has affected “90% of civil infrastructure.”

Middle East Monitor repeated the same ceasefire-violation figures, stating that “817 Palestinians have been killed and 2,296 wounded” since the ceasefire took effect, and it tied the comments to calls to review U.S. policy toward Israel and link support to compliance with international law.

TRT World, describing conditions in southeastern Gaza City, said that since the ceasefire in Israeli genocide took effect in October 2025, Israel has violated it “hundreds of times,” and it cited Gaza's Health Ministry figures that Israel has killed at least 824 Palestinians and wounded 2,316 others since the ceasefire took effect.

الجزيرة نت reported a separate day of attacks, saying “Five Palestinians were killed, including a nine-year-old child, and six others were injured in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday,” and it also said Israel killed about 818 Palestinians and injured 2,301 others by shelling and shooting, citing a “statement from the Ministry of Health.”

Sherman’s comments were presented as both a condemnation of Netanyahu’s policies and a critique of U.S. alignment, while other reporting emphasized how she still argued for continued support for Israel.

Mondoweiss framed the interview as a “Shift,” saying Sherman “didn’t mince words” and that she said Netanyahu is responsible for a genocide in Gaza, while also insisting that “the United States needs to back Israel” and that she made the remarks “in the same breath as the genocide remarks.”

Mondoweiss reproduced a Bloomberg exchange in which Sherman said, “I also believe that Prime Minister has led us down a road — and we have been part of it — that has, in essence, created a genocide in Gaza that has destabilized the Middle East,” and it also included her statement: “I support Israel and we must continue to support Israel. But there was a slaughter of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Democracy Now! similarly highlighted that Sherman called for Israel to remain an ally of the United States, quoting her: “I think that it is critical that Israel remain an ally of the United States and that we protect the right of a Jewish state.”

Le Club de Mediapart reported that Sherman said both Democratic and Republican administrations “have not managed the Middle East in a way that has actually contributed to stability and peace,” and it quoted her warning that “Iran would not capitulate during cease-fire negotiations,” while also stating that U.S. policy had been “very closely tied to our relations with Israel in many respects... too closely tied.”

Amnesty International’s Erika Guevara Rosas warned that Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla and the detention of “around 175 crew members” underscored “decades of impunity” for “ongoing atrocity crimes against Palestinians, including genocide in the Gaza Strip and apartheid.”

Beyond the diplomatic debate, other reports described actions and countermeasures that they linked to the war and its international fallout.

Middle East Eye reported that Israel is preparing to spend nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars on its propaganda arm, allocating “$730m” to the national public diplomacy directorate known by its Hebrew name Hasbara, and it said the figure marks a sharp increase from “$150m” set aside the previous year.

Amnesty International

The same report said Israel’s spending is aimed at countering a worsening global image shaped by the “genocide in Gaza,” and it described additional messaging efforts including a “$50m social media advertising push” and “around $40m hosting hundreds of foreign delegations.”

It also described a “media war room” tracking coverage across “hundreds of outlets” and monitoring “thousands of daily references to Israel,” and it said the foreign ministry signed a “$1.5m-a-month deal” with a firm linked to former Donald Trump strategist Brad Parscale to deploy artificial intelligence tools online.

Amnesty International, meanwhile, focused on the Global Sumud Flotilla, saying Israeli forces intercepted “22 vessels” and detained “around 175 crew members,” and it warned of “grave concerns for the safety of the around 175 activists arbitrarily detained.”

TRT World added a ground-level protest account, saying displaced Palestinians in southeastern Gaza City set fire to their own tents at Dar al-Salam camp in the Zeitoun neighbourhood under the slogan “We burn our tents before they burn us,” and it quoted Asmaa Arhim saying, “When the shooting starts, we throw ourselves to the ground inside the tent.”

The sources tie Sherman’s remarks to an intensifying push for accountability, while also describing ongoing violence, legal processes, and humanitarian constraints.

The Palestinian Media Center said Sherman’s statements come as calls grow to review the relationship with Tel Aviv and tie it to respect for international law, and it framed the U.S. as a partner in the process, while also citing the Health Ministry’s ceasefire-violation figures of “817” killed and “2,296” injured.

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Middle East Monitor similarly said the comments come as calls increase internationally to review U.S. policy toward Israel and to link continued support to compliance with international law, and it reiterated the same casualty numbers.

Amnesty International demanded immediate action, stating that “The crew of the intercepted vessels must be immediately and unconditionally released,” and it called for states to “urgently put in place tangible measure to bring Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza to an end,” including “immediately lifting its illegal blockade.”

TRT World described continuing violations and the persistence of lethal conditions even after ceasefire language, saying Israel has violated the ceasefire “hundreds of times” and citing Health Ministry figures of “at least 824 Palestinians” killed and “2,316” wounded since the ceasefire took effect.

Le Club de Mediapart added that Sherman warned about the difficulty of ceasefire negotiations with Iran, saying she foresaw that “Iran would never yield to the pressures of President Donald Trump,” and it quoted her saying there would be “an imbalance in the Middle East for a very long time.”