The United States claims that during the Gaza War, Israel may have occasionally violated international humanitarian law by using weaponry that it had provided. According to the State Department, it is "reasonable to evaluate" that those weapons have been deployed in ways that are "inconsistent" with Israel's duties. However, it also stated that shipments may go forward and that the US did not have all the facts necessary for its assessment. After a delay, the report was finally delivered to Congress on Friday.
The country's use of US-supplied weapons since the beginning of last year, along with six other combatants, was examined in the study that the White House commissioned. Although the report expressed strong criticism of certain Israeli activities in Gaza, it did not state categorically that the campaign carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had violated international law. It stated that Israel had faced a "exceptional military challenge" in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
Furthermore, it stated that Israel had given it "credible and dependable" guarantees regarding its adherence to the lawful use of US weapons. The memo also stated that it is frequently "difficult to discern facts on the ground in an active battle zone" regarding what are lawful targets because Hamas "uses civilian infrastructure for military reasons and people as human shields."
However, it stated that these weapons had most likely been deployed "in cases inconsistent with its IHL [international humanitarian law] commitments or with acknowledged best practices for reducing civilian injury" because of Israel's heavy dependence on US-made weaponry. According to the statement, "Israel has the knowledge, experience, and tools to implement best practices for mitigating civilian harm in its military operations," but "the IDF's application of these practices may not always be effective given the results on the ground, including high levels of civilian casualties."
According to the report, Israeli efforts to prevent injury to civilians have been deemed "inconsistent, ineffectual, and inadequate" by the UN and humanitarian organizations. According to the State Department, throughout the early months of the conflict, Israel did not fully cooperate with US efforts to "maximise" humanitarian aid into Gaza. But it also stated that things had changed. The report stated, "At this time, we do not believe that the Israeli government is blocking or otherwise hindering the carriage or delivery of US humanitarian assistance."
Former US ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield, who contributed to the research, told the BBC that it was the first of its type and that the US would be monitoring Israeli actions "under review." He went on, "This is a fight that is quite unlike any that the world has seen." "We made an effort to consider each of those variables in order to reach a very candid and reliable decision." After openly threatening to withhold specific bombs and artillery shells from Israel if it proceeded with an attack on Rafah, the final stronghold of Hamas in Gaza, home to more than a million Palestinians, the report was ultimately made public a few days later.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off President Biden's concerns that the operation in Rafah would cross a "red line" and pledged that Israel would "stand alone" if needed, just before the report was released. According to the UN, more than 80,000 Palestinians have left Rafah since Monday. Israeli tanks are allegedly stationed near populated areas and are under regular fire. At the beginning of their operation, Israeli troops grabbed control of the Rafah crossing with Egypt and closed it. Meanwhile, the UN declared that it was too risky for its personnel and trucks to travel to the newly reopened Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.
In reaction to Hamas' onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 252 hostages, Israel began a military campaign in Gaza to eradicate the organization. Since then, the health ministry in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, has reported over 34,900 deaths in the region.
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