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<p>The&nbsp;United States said on Friday (May 10) that Israel's use of American-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;This&nbsp;was Washington's&nbsp;strongest&nbsp;criticism of Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October last year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, the Joe Biden administration stopped short of a definitive assessment, saying that due to the chaos of the Israel-Hamas war&nbsp;it could not verify specific instances where&nbsp;use of those weapons might have been involved&nbsp;in alleged breaches.</p>

<h2><strong>The State Department report with contradictions</strong></h2>

<p>This assessment came in a 46-page unclassified State Department report to Congress required under a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) that President Joe Biden issued in February.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/un-general-assembly-approves-resolution-granting-palestine-new-rights-720206">UN General Assembly votes for granting Palestine new rights, member status</a></strong></p>

<p>The report included contradictions-&nbsp;It listed numerous credible reports of civilian harm and said Israel did not at first cooperate with Washington to boost humanitarian assistance to the enclave. But in each instance, it said it could not make a definitive assessment of whether any breaches of law had occurred.</p>

<p>"Given Israel's significant reliance on US-made defence articles, it is reasonable to assess that defence articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm,"&nbsp; the report said.</p>

<p>"Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether&nbsp;US&nbsp;defence articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used&nbsp;in actions that have been alleged as violations of IHL or IHRL in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report," it added.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>'Biden administration ducked all hard questions'</strong></h2>

<p>Reacting to the report,&nbsp;Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said the administration had "ducked all the hard questions" and avoided looking closely at whether Israel's conduct should mean military aid&nbsp;is cut off.</p>

<p><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;How is Gaza war shaping US politics?</strong></p>

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<p>"This report contradicts itself because it concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe violations to international law have occurred, but at the same&nbsp;time&nbsp;that says they're not finding non-compliance," Hollen said during a press conference.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Israel's military conduct in the Gaza Strip&nbsp;has come under increasing scrutiny, and officials at the US State Department have&nbsp;been divided&nbsp;over the issue.&nbsp;</p>


The United States said on Friday (May 10) that Israel's use of American-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in the Gaza Strip.

The United States said on Friday (May 10) that Israel's use of American-supplied weapons may have violated international humanitarian law during its military operation in the Gaza Strip. This was Washington's strongest criticism of Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October last year. However, the Joe Biden administration stopped short of a definitive assessment, saying that due to the chaos of the Israel-Hamas war it could not verify specific instances where use of those weapons might have been involved in alleged breaches. The State Department report with contradictions This assessment came in a 46-page unclassified State Department report to Congress required under a new National Security Memorandum (NSM) that President Joe Biden issued in February. Also read | UN General Assembly votes for granting Palestine new rights, member status The report included contradictions- It listed numerous credible reports of civilian harm and said Israel did not at first cooperate with Washington to boost humanitarian assistance to the enclave. But in each instance, it said it could not make a definitive assessment of whether any breaches of law had occurred. "Given Israel's significant reliance on US-made defence articles, it is reasonable to assess that defence articles covered under NSM-20 have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its IHL obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm," the report said. "Israel has not shared complete information to verify whether US defence articles covered under NSM-20 were specifically used in actions that have been alleged as violations of IHL or IHRL in Gaza, or in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the period of the report," it added. 'Biden administration ducked all hard questions' Reacting to the report, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said the administration had "ducked all the hard questions" and avoided looking closely at whether Israel's conduct should mean military aid is cut off. Also watch | How is Gaza war shaping US politics? × "This report contradicts itself because it concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe violations to international law have occurred, but at the same time that says they're not finding non-compliance," Hollen said during a press conference. Israel's military conduct in the Gaza Strip has come under increasing scrutiny, and officials at the US State Department have been divided over the issue.

Gaza war: Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international law, says Washington

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Gaza war: Israel's use of US-supplied weapons may have violated international law, says Washington