Washington, May 14 (IANS/DPA): The US government has defended the Israeli leadership against accusations that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in the fight against the militant organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide. We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition," US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in Washington on Monday.

Sullivan added that the US had also presented its position on this issue in writing and detail before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

"We believe Israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and well-being of innocent civilians," he said.

The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented attacks in which militants from the Palestinian Hamas movement and other Islamist groups killed more than 1,200 people in Israel on October 7.

Israel responded with massive airstrikes and a ground offensive.

Given the high number of civilian casualties and the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel has come in for increasing criticism internationally.

At the end of December, South Africa took Israel to the ICJ for alleged violations of the Genocide Convention during the Gaza war.

In an interim ruling, the UN court ordered Israel to take protective measures to prevent genocide.

Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide and argues it invoked the right to self-defence after the October 7 attacks.

Nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far, according to Gaza's Health authority.

The US government -- and US President Joe Biden in particular -- is also currently facing numerous accusations of aiding and abetting genocide through its military support for Israel.

Protesters have been interrupting public appearances by the President with corresponding slogans.

Others complain that Biden is letting his important ally down by adopting an increasingly harsh tone towards Israel.