US authorizes bombs, and warplanes for Israel amid rising civilian death toll in Gaza
WASHINGTON ( Web News )
The United States in recent days authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel even as it publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated military offensive in Rafah, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, the newspaper said, citing Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter.
The top US military general said Thursday that Washington had not provided Israel with all the weapons that it had requested, with part of the reason being the US was not willing to at this point.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was in Washington earlier this week, where he reportedly presented a wish list of weapons capabilities that his country wanted from the US as it continues a monthslong campaign of trying to eliminate Hamas.
Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally. The United States has been rushing air defenses and munitions to Israel, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticized the Biden administration’s steadfast support of Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity.
“We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” the report quoted a White House official as saying. “Conditioning aid has not been our policy.”
However, some Democrats argue that the US government is responsible for limiting the supply of weapons to Israel in light of its ongoing operation in Gaza, which has killed 32,623 people in the besieged enclave, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Strip.
“The Biden administration needs to use their leverage effectively and, in my view, they should receive these basic commitments before greenlighting more bombs for Gaza,” The Washington Post quoted Sen. Chris Van Hollen as saying in an interview. “We need to back up what we say with what we do.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved a new round of Gaza ceasefire talks to take place in Doha and Cairo, his office said Friday, days after the negotiations appeared stalled.
Since the UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday demanding an “immediate ceasefire,” Hamas and Israel have traded blame for their failure to agree a deal.
Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack on Israel, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.
Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead – eight soldiers and 25 civilians.