The Biden administration intends to proceed with over $1 billion in arms deals for Israel, according to U.S. officials speaking anonymously to The Washington Post. This decision comes despite the recent withholding of a bomb shipment due to concerns over Israel's planned attack on Rafah. The United Nations is investigating the killing of a U.N. security worker in Rafah, believed to have been killed by tank fire, an armament typically operated only by Israel in the region.
A Human Rights Watch report has highlighted Israeli forces' strikes on aid worker convoys and premises since October, even after workers provided their coordinates to Israeli authorities. Nearly 450,000 people have fled Rafah following Israeli evacuation orders, with the UNRWA estimating widespread exhaustion, hunger, and fear among those affected.
The Pentagon's press secretary, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, announced the imminent operation of a new U.S.-built pier to aid deliveries to Gaza. Some aid groups criticize the pier as a distraction, arguing that land routes could provide necessary aid if Israeli forces permitted it.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports a death toll of 35,173 and 79,061 injured since the war began, with the majority of the dead being women and children. Israel estimates 1,200 killed in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, including over 300 soldiers, and reports 273 soldiers killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.
Regarding the killing of a U.N. security worker and the injury of a female staffer in southern Gaza, the U.N. believes the shots came from an Israeli tank, prompting an investigation. The incident claimed the life of Waibhav Anil Kale, a U.N. security service coordinator, and wounded a Jordanian woman.
The Biden administration has informally notified congressional committees of its intent to proceed with the arms deals, including $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles, and $60 million in mortar rounds. This decision follows a temporary halt to a bomb shipment due to concerns about potential civilian casualties in a planned assault in southern Gaza.
Critics argue that advancing the arms package undermines efforts to restrain Israel's military actions in Lebanon and Gaza, where a more targeted approach is advocated.