The administration of US President Joe Biden has reportedly agreed to provide thousands of additional bombs to Israel, helping to replenish stockpiles that have been depleted by West Jerusalem’s six-month bombardment of Gaza.
The latest weapons transfer was authorized on Monday, CNN and the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing unidentified US government officials. The package includes more than 1,000 MK-82 bombs, which weigh 500 pounds each, as well as over 1,000 small-diameter munitions and fuses for MK-80 bombs.
The weapons transfer was finalized hours after news broke that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed seven aid workers, including US and UK citizens, in a drone strike targeting a humanitarian aid convoy in the Palestinian enclave. Nearly 200 aid workers have reportedly been killed in Gaza and the West Bank since Israel’s war against Hamas began in October.
Although Biden has chided Israel for not doing enough to protect aid workers and other civilians in Gaza, his administration has refused to throttle back its support for the IDF or place conditions on weapons shipments. Over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to Gaza health authorities, and the UN has warned of a humanitarian “catastrophe” if the IDF goes through with its planned ground offensive at the southern end of the enclave.
“We believe that the approach that we’re taking is working in terms of making it clear to the Israelis what our expectations are,” White House National Security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday. He added, “Right now, we are continuing to support Israel because they continue to need military assistance because they continue to face a viable threat.”
Josh Paul, a former US State Department official who resigned last October over military aid to Israel, told CNN that the latest weapons transfer could have been halted after Monday’s drone strike on aid workers. “State Department has the ability to suspend any approval even after the fact, which, given the circumstances, you’d think they’d at least consider,” he said.
Just last week, Washington reportedly approved a weapons shipment to Israel that includes thousands of MK-84 bombs, which weigh 2,000 pounds each. Like this week’s package, it didn’t require approval by Congress because it stemmed from a previously authorized arms sale. The Biden administration is reportedly pushing for legislative approval of a new $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets to Israel.