The US has signed off on the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and aircraft to Israel, despite recent political disagreements and publicly expressed concerns about an impending Israeli ground incursion into the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah, the Washington Post reported. reported on Friday.
About 1,800 2,000-pound MK84 bombs and 500 500-pound MK82 bombs are among the armaments in the transfer, unnamed Pentagon and White House officials told the newspaper. In addition, the State Department has reportedly authorized the transfer of 25 F-35A aircraft and engines for a rough value of $2.5 billion. The transfers were originally approved by Congress years ago as part of more than $3 billion in annual military aid to the longtime ally, so did not require new notification.
The use of US-supplied bombs contributed to the rising death toll in Gaza, which reached 32,000 by the end of March, according to the latest figures from Palestinian health officials. West Jerusalem is trying to eradicate the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which invaded southern Israel from the enclave in October, killing about 1,200 people and capturing dozens of hostages.
The Israeli Army (IDF) allegedly used the £2,000 bunker busters last year in his attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza and around the Al-Shati refugee camp. The bombings in Jabalia alone are said to have claimed more than a hundred lives, as UN research later revealed labeled as “disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes.”
Washington insists that Israel provided the US with this “credible and reliable written guarantees” that all military assistance provided has been used in accordance with international law. “We have not determined that they are in violation,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told the press Monday.
However, the rift between Washington and the Jewish state has become increasingly apparent this week, as the US allowed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to pass through the UN Security Council, rather than vetoing it . In response, Israel canceled the planned visit of a high-level delegation to the US.
The delegation was to discuss the planned Israeli military operation against Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where more than 1.4 million of the enclave’s total population are currently seeking refuge. The UN has warned that such an offensive would lead to enormous losses of life, and even the White House has publicly urged Israel against the attack.
Israel has “no choice” But to send troops to the overcrowded Palestinian city, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US lawmakers on Wednesday, reiterating that Hamas’s remaining strongholds must be completely eliminated.
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