US plans to send $1 billion in military aid to Israel despite earlier pause on bombs over Rafah invasion
-
Hashim Sheikh
- . May 15, 2024
- . Update: May 15, 2024 6:50 pm
The Biden administration is planning to send a $1 billion package of US military aid to Israel, as per media reports, despite the country’s strong opposition to a full-scale invasion of Rafah, in the southernmost tip of Gaza, and concerns about rising civilian casualties.
The US Department of State has moved the package into the congressional review process, according to Reuters. The package reportedly includes about $700 million for tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds.
US commitment to sending military aid to Israel
The latest package of aid is yet to be approved, but it comes shortly after President Joe Biden paused a single shipment of bombs because of concerns over Israel’s military practices in Rafah, from where the UN says close to half a million displaced people have escaped.
Nonetheless, the package appears to be a long-term US commitment to sending military aid to Israel. Media reports suggest that it could take several months or even years to supply all the planned weapons to Israel. It is not necessarily connected to the ongoing situation in Gaza.
In a report released on May 10, the US State Department noted that Israeli forces likely used US-supplied weapons in a manner “inconsistent” with international regulations. But it stopped short of identifying the violations that can put an end to the US’s ongoing military help.
450,000 people forcibly displaced from Rafah
The Israeli army is reported to have intensified its attacks by land and air in Rafah and Jabalia in the north of the territory. Since May 6, nearly 450,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Rafah, the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Gaza war has been raging on since October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and taking several others hostages. Israel’s retaliatory strikes, on the other hand, have already claimed 35,173 lives, as per Gaza authorities.
