4:26The Department of State building is depicted on April 19, 2019, in Washington.Mark Wilson/Getty Images, FILE
The State Department has released its long-awaited annual Human Rights Report this Monday, and this year’s version appears significantly different from its predecessors.
This report, which is the U.S. government’s yearly assessment of human rights situations in various nations worldwide, is generally published in February or March.
A senior official from the State Department clarified that the delayed release was attributed to the power transition from the Biden administration to the Trump administration.
"The new State Department commenced its work with a draft version of a Human Rights Report that emphasized issues the previous administration prioritized, which were not favored by the American populace," the official stated. "Therefore, the process of revising and ensuring the report is coherent and factually accurate took several months."
Officials acknowledged that the report, addressing the year 2024, has been condensed, with reports from various countries reduced by numerous pages in many instances.
"This year’s reports have been streamlined for enhanced usability and accessibility for field operations and partners," an appendix to the report indicates. "We have reduced the amount of statistical data in the document. In the digital age, the underlying data is usually accessible."
However, critics of the Trump administration are expected to contend that in certain instances, the brevity — along with other findings — reflects political motivations.
"This year’s reports are distinct. The administration has omitted or diluted entire categories of abuse," stated the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice, a coalition of former State Department officials opposed to the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign assistance and various other policies.
"This is not an oversight; it is a calculated removal," the organization added.
The Department of State building is illustrated on April 19, 2019, in Washington.Mark Wilson/Getty Images, FILE
Below is a summary highlighting some noteworthy countries:
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza
The segment of the 2024 report addressing Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza is particularly succinct, making several remarks about the treatment of hostages held by Hamas while providing scant details about the humanitarian challenges faced by Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
The report indicates that the conflict following Hamas’ assault on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 individuals, "led to an increase in reports of human rights violations," including allegations of "arbitrary or unlawful killings; enforced disappearances; degrading treatment by government officials; and arbitrary arrests or detentions."
The Israel-Hamas War has caused substantial casualties. The death toll in Gaza since the onset of the conflict exceeds 61,500, with approximately 153,500 individuals injured, as reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, observed from Israel’s border with Gaza, Aug. 12, 2025.Ammar Awad/Reuters
The State Department also noted that the Israeli government "took several credible measures to identify officials who perpetrated human rights violations, with multiple trials pending by the end of the year."
Despite the widespread criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, the section of the report titled "War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and Evidence of Acts that May Constitute Genocide, or Conflict-related Abuses," focused solely on Hamas and Hezbollah, stating that the designated terrorist organizations "persist in indiscriminately targeting Israeli civilians in breach of the law of armed conflict."
The State Department’s 2023 report
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
