US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Israel’s referral to the International Court of Justice for alleged genocide during its war in Gaza “meritless” and said it distracts from efforts to address the humanitarian crisis and prevent the war from spreading.

“The charge of genocide is meritless,” said Blinken at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. “It's particularly galling given that those who are attacking Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, as well as their supporter of Iran, continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the mass murder of Jews.”