In an interview with Sky News, Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett strongly condemned a recent report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry (CoI) accusing Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, calling it a "sloppy piece of report" that omitted critical context.
The 72-page UN report, which outlines allegations of genocide by Israeli authorities, was described by Bennett as lacking credibility. "In 72 pages, it would have made sense to mention how it all started with a massacre, a Hamas massacre of 1,200 Israelis," he said, referring to the October 7th attacks. "Burning babies, cutting heads off, raping women—does it make sense to you that they omitted all of that and started only after?"
While the Sky News interviewer pointed out that the Commission had previously accused Hamas of war crimes, he emphasized that the laws of war apply to both sides. Bennett responded by asserting that Israel operates under international law and takes precautions to avoid civilian harm. "Every time we identify a terrorist in a civilian building, we notify the people in that building well in advance," he said. "Millions of leaflets, tens of millions of text messages. That's not genocide."
Addressing specific allegations, the interviewer cited the Commission's claim that Israel deliberately inflicted conditions of life meant to destroy the group, including blocking aid, medical services, and forcibly displacing civilians. Bennett firmly denied these accusations: "None of them has happened. Hamas turned almost every other home in Gaza into a terror base."
He criticized the report for omitting key details, such as the targeting of Hamas figure Mohamed Sinwar near a hospital: "What they forgot to mention is that we targeted Mohamed Sinwar, the architect of this whole massacre and war. Is that not sloppy in your opinion?"
When pressed further about the humanitarian impact of the war, Bennett pointed to Israeli aid efforts: "We've allowed two million tons of aid, of which 1.6 million are food, into Gaza. We've conducted 600,000 polio vaccines for kids in Gaza. Is that genocide? Come on."
Bennett also dismissed quotes used in the report as distorted. When asked about Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's reference to "human animals," Bennett responded, "Yes. And this is human animals. We're talking about Hamas." He continued, "Al Qaeda is human animals. Hamas is human animals. The Nazis were human animals. No one's talking about the citizens."
Regarding a quote attributed to President Isaac Herzog, Bennett said, "That's a distortion. What he said and what is correct is that the public, most of it does support the massacre of October 7th. That's a fact. We know that there were mass celebrations everywhere."
Asked about the broader strategy and endpoint of the war, Bennett was clear: "It ends at the moment Hamas releases the hostages and lays down its arms. We did not initiate this war. We have no territorial desires or aspirations for Gaza."
He concluded by expressing concern for the Israeli hostages held in Gaza. "I agree with her. And I think most of Israelis agree that and we are horrified," he said, referring to a hostage's mother. Bennett described the hostages as "48 Israelis that are in cages, literally in cages, being starved to death," adding, "They're the only people who are going through deliberate starvation."
The CoI's report, released earlier this month, claims that Israel has committed four acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and calls for international measures, including halting arms transfers to Israel. The Israeli government has categorically rejected the findings, with the Foreign Ministry calling the report a "fabricated" document based on Hamas falsehoods.