Palestinian families have sued the US State Department over Washington’s support for Israel’s military amid its offensive in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, a court filing showed, according to Reuters.

The lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia alleged that the State Department under Secretary of State Antony Blinken has deliberately circumvented a US human rights law to continue funding and supporting Israeli military units accused of atrocities in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

“The State Department’s calculated failure to apply the Leahy Law is particularly shocking in the face of the unprecedented escalation of Israeli gross violations of human rights since the Gaza War erupted on October 7, 2023,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit was filed by five Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the United States. The lead plaintiff was a Gaza teacher who has been displaced seven times in the current war and lost 20 family members, the lawsuit says.

The State Department declined to comment and referred reporters to the Justice Department, which had no immediate comment.