- Tom Bateman, State Department Correspondent
- BBC News
image source, Good pictures
The US says Israel may have used US-supplied weapons in violation of international humanitarian law in some cases during the war in Gaza.
The State Department says it is “reasonable to assess” that those weapons have been used in ways “contrary” to Israel’s obligations.
But it said the US did not have complete information on its assessment and said exports could continue.
The report was tabled in Congress on Friday after a delay.
The review, ordered by the White House, examined how US-supplied weapons have been used since early last year, along with six others involved in the conflict.
While the statement was a clear condemnation of some Israeli actions in Gaza, it stopped short of asserting that the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) campaign violated international law.
It said Israel faced an “extraordinary military challenge” against Hamas in Gaza.
It added that the assurances it had received from Israel about the legal use of US weapons were “reliable and reliable”.
The document also noted that because Hamas uses “civilian infrastructure for military purposes and civilians as human shields,” it is “difficult to determine the realities on the ground in an operational battlefield.”
But it said that because of Israel’s substantial reliance on US-made weapons, they “may have been used in instances inconsistent with its IHL”. [international humanitarian law] obligations or with best practices to minimize civilian harm”
“Israel has the knowledge, experience and tools to implement best practices to mitigate harm to civilians in its military operations,” it added. and uses them effectively in all cases”.
UN And humanitarian organizations described Israel’s efforts to reduce civilian casualties as “random, ineffective and inadequate,” the report said.
The State Department found that Israel was not fully cooperating with U.S. efforts to “maximize” humanitarian aid in Gaza during the early months of the conflict. However, this situation has changed.
“We do not currently assess whether the Israeli government is interdicting or otherwise restricting the transit or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance,” the statement said.
One of the report’s contributors, former US ambassador to Turkey David Satterfield, told the BBC that the report was the first of its kind and that the US would continue to “review” Israeli actions.
“This is a conflict unlike the world has seen,” he added. “We tried to take all those factors into account in coming up with a very transparent, but reliable, judgment.”
More than 80,000 people have fled Rafah since Monday, the UN says, as Israeli tanks reportedly mass near the built-up areas amid repeated shelling.
Israeli troops took control and closed the Rafah crossing with Egypt at the start of their operation, while the UN It said it was too dangerous for its workers and trucks to reach the reopened Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel.
Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza to wipe out Hamas in response to the group’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, during which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 252 taken hostage. More than 34,900 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas health ministry.
