Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) defended her use of the term “genocide” to describe the Israel–Hamas war, saying, “We have crossed the threshold of intent.”

Speaking on CNN, Ocasio-Cortez was asked about a floor speech she made about the conflict in Gaza, during which she described it as a “genocide” for the first time.

“Genocide is a word that has serious and specific connotations and allegations,” CNN’s Jake Tapper said. “It’s defined by the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. You believe the Israeli military, the Israeli government, are actively trying they intend to destroy the Palestinian people?”

The representative said her use of the term is not made lightly, but confirmed that she does due to the “forced famine” of 1.1 million people in Gaza.

“Multiple governments, NGOs, and even officials within the United States State Department, have stated themselves plainly that the Israeli government, and leaders in the Israeli government, are intentionally denying, blocking, and slow-walking this aid and are precipitating a mass famine,” she said. “I believe we have crossed the threshold of intent.”

“What we are seeing here, I think, with a forced famine, is beyond our ability to deny or explain away,” she said. “There is no targeting of Hamas in precipitating a mass famine of a million people, half of whom are children.”

Israeli officials also said the conflict could end immediately if Hamas freed hostages and laid down its arms.

“When we are talking about famine, the actions of Hamas should not be tied to whether a three-year-old can eat,” Ocasio-Cortez responded. “The actions of Hamas do not justify forcing hundreds of thousands of people to eat grass as their bodies consume themselves.”