The United States has given a rare greenlight for the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, even as it continues to publicly express concerns about the long-threatened Israeli invasion of Gaza’s Rafah and the rising civilian casualties in the enclave.
Africa Today News, New York understands that the new arms package includes more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and Department of State officials, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The 2,000-pound bombs, which can inflict damage to people up to 1,000 feet (300 metres) away, have been “linked to previous mass-casualty events throughout Israel’s military campaign in Gaza”, the report said. The US gives $3.8bn in annual military assistance to its longtime ally.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said the transfer “amounts to about $2.5bn”, adding that “this is taking place despite a growing rift between both the Israeli and US governments”.
The US continues to provide weapons packages to Israel while pushing for an end to hostilities in the five-month war and on Monday did not veto a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of captives.
Read Also: Gaza/Israel War: Akpabio Calls For Cessation Of Hostilities
In the face of widespread international condemnation, including from Washington, Israel has said it will soon launch a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip that borders Egypt and where about 1.5 million forcibly displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticised the US, posting on X that “demanding [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to stop killing civilians and supplying him with weapons is an unprecedented principled and moral contradiction”.
The ministry expressed regret at the “ongoing failure” on the part of the UN Security Council and of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to bring Israel to respect their decisions.
US senators have urged President Joe Biden to cut military aid to Israel until it ensures access to humanitarian aid for Gaza. Many countries and rights groups have called for Israel to obey an ICJ order to allow the unimpeded delivery of aid into Gaza, where famine has set in.
The White House declined to comment on the weapons transfers.