US President Joe Biden has confirmed that bombs supplied by the United States to Israel have been used to kill civilians in the Gaza Strip. This admission comes amid a pause in the shipment of additional weapons to Israel, as the Biden administration faces increasing scrutiny over the use of American-made weapons in the conflict.
Speaking to reporters, President Biden acknowledged that "civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs," referring to the US-supplied munitions. This statement marks the first time that the President has publicly admitted to the direct link between US military aid and civilian casualties in the Gaza conflict.
The revelation comes as the Biden administration has paused a shipment of bombs to Israel over concerns that the country was poised to launch a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. This pause is seen as a significant move signaling growing daylight between the US and Israel, particularly as the Biden administration has called on Israel to do more to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza.
The use of so-called "dumb bombs," unguided munitions that can achieve heightened accuracy when deployed in conjunction with dive bombing and other tactics, has been a point of controversy during the conflict. According to US officials, about 40-45% of the air-to-ground munitions used by Israel in Gaza have been unguided. This has raised concerns about the potential for indiscriminate bombing and the harm to civilians caught in the crossfire.
The admission by President Biden has sparked debate over the role of US military aid in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the responsibility of the US to ensure that its weapons are not used in ways that violate international humanitarian law. Critics argue that the US should condition its military aid to Israel on greater efforts to minimize civilian casualties and respect for international law.
As the conflict in Gaza continues, the Biden administration is set to deliver a long-awaited verdict on whether the airstrikes and restrictions on aid delivery have violated international and US laws designed to protect civilians from the worst horrors of war. This report is expected to shed light on the extent of civilian harm caused by the conflict and the role played by US-supplied weapons.
The admission by President Biden has added a new dimension to the ongoing debate over US military aid to Israel and the impact of this aid on the civilian population in Gaza. As the international community grapples with the complex issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the question of the ethical and legal implications of US military support for Israel is likely to remain at the forefront of discussions.
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