The report also highlighted the contradiction between Biden’s move and his emotional statement, where he said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the tragic incident.
The US administration of Joe Biden has approved a significant transfer of bombs to Israel on the same day Israeli airstrikes in Gaza resulted in the killing of seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), The Washington Post revealed on Thursday, citing three US officials.
This decision, according to the Post, underscores the administration’s commitment to continue providing lethal weaponry to Israel despite international condemnation following the tragic incident.
The report also highlighted the contradiction between Biden’s move and his emotional statement, where he said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the tragic incident.
Thousands of Bombs
According to the report, the US State Department confirmed the approval of the arms transfer, which included over “1,000 MK 82 500-pound bombs, over 1,000 small-diameter bombs, and fuses for MK80 bombs.”
The authorization for the transfer was “granted by Congress several years before the latest hostilities”, the officials said, on the condition of anonymity.
However, the US government “has the authority to suspend an arms package any time before delivery” but “it has not done so in this case,” the Post noted.
The killing of humanitarian workers by an Israeli bombing has prompted renewed scrutiny of US support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
‘This is Unforgivable’ – Seven Aid Workers Killed in Israeli Air Strike
Both Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack, emphasizing the need for their protection. However, some Democratic supporters argued that such statements are insufficient without substantive consequences for Israel’s actions and criticized the administration’s unconditional support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
“When asked Tuesday about the State Department’s role in continued arms transfers, Blinken cited regional threats to Israel from Iran and Hezbollah, saying the weapons ‘go to deterrence, trying to avoid more conflicts’,”according to the Post.
What Happened
Seven members of the WCK were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday. The seven killed were from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and Palestine.
According to WCK, the team “was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle”, when the attack occurred.
“Despite coordinating movements with the IDF (Israeli Army – PC), the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse (in central Gaza), where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route,” the statement said.
Israel has admitted to the killings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it “a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants,” and adding “This happens in war.”
‘Only Way to Determine Truth’ – WCK Calls for Independent Probe Into Israel’s Killing of Aid Workers
WCK has called for an independent investigation into the killing of seven of its aid workers in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza as “the only way to determine the truth of what happened.”
“We have asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Poland, and the United Kingdom to join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law,” the US-based NGO said in a statement on Thursday.
“This was a military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles,” the WCK said.
“All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission.”
Defending the Indefensible – The United States and the Cult of Israel
Staggering Death Toll
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,037 Palestinians have been killed, and 75,668 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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