The Biden administration said Friday that it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel has violated international law in Gaza, but that the country hasn’t violated terms of U.S. weapons agreements.
In a report to Congress, the State Department said it hasn’t verified specific instances that would justify withholding military aid.
“While the U.S. has had deep concerns during the period since October 7 about action and inaction by Israel that contributed significantly to a lack of sustained and predictable delivery of needed assistance at scale, and the overall level reaching Palestinian civilians — while improved — remains insufficient, we do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance” under the Foreign Assistance Act, the report said.
The United States halted a shipment of offensive weapons to Israel last week in a sign of its growing concern over a possible military offensive on Rafah.
The State Department noted that its assessment is ongoing and that “we will continue to monitor and respond to any challenges to the delivery of aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza moving forward.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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