- Tom Bateman, State Department Correspondent
- bbc news
image source, Getty Images
The US government has announced that Israel may have violated humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip by using US-made weapons.
In a delayed report, the State Department said it was “reasonable to assess” that the U.S.-supplied weapons were used in a manner “inconsistent” with Israel's obligations.
But Israel had to face an “extraordinary military challenge” in fighting Hamas in Gaza, the paper said.
The report was submitted to Congress on Friday at the behest of the White House.
The report explicitly condemned some of Israel's operations in Gaza, but stopped short of definitively stating that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operations violated international law.
He also said that the assurances he received from Israel about compliance with the lawful use of American weapons were “credible and reliable” and that arms shipments could continue.
The document also states that the U.S. government does not have “complete information” on its assessment and that Hamas is “exploiting civilian infrastructure for military purposes and using civilians as human shields” and that it is “on the ground.” It is often difficult to determine the facts.” An “active combat area” is a legitimate target.
The report said that given Israel's heavy reliance on US-made weapons, they were “likely to have been used in cases inconsistent with IHL”. [international humanitarian law] with established best practices to mandate or reduce harm to civilians. ”
However, the report concluded that “Israel has the knowledge, experience, and tools to implement best practices to reduce harm to civilians in military operations,” but that “a large number of The results on the ground, including casualties, raise serious questions about whether Israel harmed civilians in its military operations.” The IDF uses them effectively in all cases. ”
The report suggests that US President Joe Biden will withhold certain bombs and shells from Israel if it presses ahead with an attack on Rafah, Hamas' last stronghold in the Gaza Strip, which is home to more than 1 million Palestinians. The announcement came just days after he publicly threatened to do so.
The State Department also noted that although Israel did not fully cooperate with U.S. efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in the first months of the conflict, at this time Israel It also clarified that it does not assess that transportation is prohibited or restricted.
Israel launched a military operation to annihilate Hamas in the Gaza Strip after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 252 hostages. More than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-controlled region's health ministry.
