Former U.S. President Barack Obama has openly condemned the ongoing Israeli genocidal campaign in Gaza, declaring that the relentless bombardment of an already devastated strip of land has no “military rationale.”

His remarks mark one of the rare moments a senior American leader has acknowledged the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe inflicted upon Palestinians.

Speaking at an event in Dublin on Friday, Obama said: “Right now, children can’t starve. Right now, there’s not a military rationale for continuing to pummel what is already rubble.”

He stressed that the world cannot continue ignoring Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and urged recognition of Palestinian autonomy alongside a secure arrangement for both peoples. His words come as international leaders gather for the United Nations General Assembly, overshadowed by Israel’s escalating war and accusations of genocide.

Obama, who admitted to his own confrontations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, criticized the cynical politics that prolong the bloodshed: “Unfortunately, the leadership has a vested interest in maintaining the notion that it is simply us and them. It’s a cynical game. I watched it throughout my presidency, and I was not always popular in that region because I would call them on it. Me and the prime minister of Israel… were not the best of friends.”

While Obama did also reject Hamas’s tactics, his central message challenged Israel’s ongoing massacres, pointing to the starvation and displacement of civilians as indefensible.

The remarks came just days after the United Nations warned that Israel’s new ground offensive in Gaza City could displace up to 1 million Palestinians, on top of the 640,000 already forced from their homes. Rights groups have repeatedly said such actions amount to forced transfer and ethnic cleansing.

Netanyahu, rattled by growing Western recognition of a Palestinian state, lashed out against what he called “biased media” and “antisemitic mobs,” even as the world watches his military reduce Gaza to ruins.

Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump added to the growing pressure on Tel Aviv, signaling impatience with Netanyahu’s policies. From the Oval Office, Trump declared: “I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. Nope, I will not allow it. It’s been enough. It’s time to stop now.”

Washington officials have also circulated a 21-point peace plan to Arab leaders, signaling divisions within the U.S. establishment over how long unconditional support for Israel’s war can continue.

Obama’s intervention reflects a shifting tide, as global outrage intensifies over Israel’s campaign in Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been obliterated, children are starved, and the United Nations warns of irreversible catastrophe.

For Palestinians, his words may not stop the bombs, but they shatter a long-standing wall of American silence. The question now is whether U.S. leaders will finally act—or whether Gaza’s genocide will remain normalized by excuses of “self-defense.” (ILKHA)