CNN
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The Biden administration recently approved the transfer of more than 1,000 500-pound bombs and 1,000 small-caliber bombs to Israel, despite U.S. concerns about the country's actions in the Gaza war, according to three people familiar with the matter. and reinforced its arsenal.
A State Department spokesperson said the authorization for the transfer of MK-82 bombs and small-caliber bombs, totaling more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition, comes after an Israeli attack on a humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza on Monday and seven workers from the aid group World Central Kitchen. He said it was done before he died. .
But news of the admission comes as Israel faces fresh international condemnation over the attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged on Tuesday that aid workers had been “unintentionally” targeted.
The United States last week approved the transfer of similar weapons, including nearly 2,000 2,000-pound bombs known as MK-84s, officials said. CNN has previously linked the MK84 bomb to mass casualty incidents in Gaza, including last year's Israeli attack on a refugee camp.
All of these transfers were already green-lighted by lawmakers in 2012 and 2015, so no new congressional notification or approval is required, according to Department of Defense arms sales notices available in the Federal Register. There wasn't. The contract is currently being fulfilled, which could take several years, as munitions needed to be produced.
The Biden administration has declined to provide military aid to Israel, even though U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden, have publicly said that Israel has not done enough to protect civilians through the six-month war. He indicated that he had no intention of limiting or conditioning him. Biden said earlier this week that he was “furious” over the strikes that killed his aid workers and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the enclave's health ministry. Israel declared war on Hamas on October 7 in response to a terrorist attack by the militant group that killed more than 1,200 Israelis.
“We have long been committed to ensuring Israel's security and Israel's ability to defend itself,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Paris on Tuesday when asked about the arms transfer. He added that in some cases the weapons and systems Israel is seeking from the United States go back “many years” and are used for “self-defense, deterrence” and replenishing Israel's stockpile.
But the US is also making new arms sales to Israel, including an $18 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets that the administration is preparing to approve, CNN reported on Monday. Ta.
This story has been interrupted and will be updated.
CNN's Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.
