The United States has raised concerns that Israel may have employed American-supplied weapons in ways that violate international humanitarian law during the conflict in Gaza.
According to the State Department, there is a “reasonable assessment” that some instances of weapon usage by Israel were inconsistent with its obligations. However, the US emphasised that its evaluation was incomplete and indicated that arms shipments to Israel could continue.Which is the normal way the US tries to hoodwink the world into believing all is well with what we all know is a blatant breach of international law.
The report, which was submitted to Congress after a delay, followed a review ordered by the White House into the use of US-supplied arms by seven countries, including Israel, since the beginning of the previous year.
While the report criticized certain Israeli operations in Gaza, it refrained from definitively stating that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) campaign breached international law. It acknowledged the significant military challenge Israel faced in combatting Hamas in Gaza and deemed assurances from Israel regarding the legal use of US weapons as credible and reliable.
Highlighting the complexities of the situation, the report noted Hamas’s use of civilian infrastructure and human shields, making it challenging to distinguish legitimate targets in an active war zone.
Despite recognizing Israel’s capability to implement best practices for minimizing civilian harm, the report raised concerns about the effectiveness of these measures given the high levels of civilian casualties observed.
It cited assessments from the UN and humanitarian organizations describing Israeli efforts to mitigate civilian harm as inconsistent, ineffective, and inadequate.
Furthermore, the report criticized Israel for not fully cooperating with US efforts to facilitate humanitarian aid into Gaza during the initial months of the conflict. However, it noted a change in this stance over time.
David Satterfield, a former US ambassador to Turkey and contributor to the report, emphasized its significance as the first of its kind. He stated that the US would continue to monitor Israeli actions closely.
The release of the report came shortly after US President Joe Biden warned of withholding certain military supplies from Israel if it proceeded with an assault on Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Biden’s warnings, vowing that Israel would act independently if necessary.
As tensions escalated, thousands of people fled Rafah, and Israeli forces tightened control over the area, including closing the crossing with Egypt. Meanwhile, humanitarian efforts faced challenges in reaching affected areas due to the volatile situation.
The conflict in Gaza erupted in response to Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, resulting in casualties on both sides. The ongoing violence has taken a heavy toll on civilians, with thousands killed or displaced.However this attack was in a overall response to decades of attacks and bombings of Palestinian towns and villages in all parts of Palestine which have resulted in many massacres of Palestinian civilians.