US tracking nearly 500 incidents of civilian harm during Gaza war: Report
US State Department officials have identified nearly 500 potential incidents of civilian harm during Israel’s war in Gaza involving US-supplied weapons, but have not taken further action on any of them, three sources, including a US official familiar with the matter, have said.
The incidents – some of which might have violated international humanitarian law, according to the sources – have been recorded since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli war on Gaza started.
They are being collected by the State Department’s Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance, a formal mechanism for tracking and assessing any reported misuse of US-origin weapons.
The mechanism, which was established in August 2023 to be applied to all countries that receive US arms, has three stages: incident analysis, policy impact assessment, and coordinated department action, according to a December internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters.
None of the Gaza cases had yet reached the third stage of action, said a former US official familiar with the matter. Options could range from working with Israel’s government to help mitigate harm, to suspending existing arms export licences or withholding future approvals.
The Washington Post first reported the nearly 500 incidents on Wednesday.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/10/30/us-weapons-israel-gaza-civilian-deaths/
US says Israel ‘not doing enough’ to answer concerns on Gaza strikes
Israel is not answering questions about the deadly strike on northern Gaza that killed nearly 100 people, including a large number of children.
“They are not doing enough to get us the answers that we have requested,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
The attack on Tuesday in the northern Gaza district of Beit Lahiya collapsed a building and killed at least 93 Palestinians including a large number of children. Miller called the strike “horrifying” and said the United States is seeking answers from Israel, which relies heavily on US diplomatic and military support.
Asked if the US learned more over the past day, Miller said, “We reiterated that call with them today. We do not yet have an explanation. They have said to us what they had said publicly, which is they’re investigating the matter.”
Bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes at Kamal Adwan Hospital
‘No significant improvement’ in Gaza aid since US letter to Israel
The US Department of State says it has not seen a “significant improvement” in aid reaching Palestinians in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials earlier this month demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave.
They told Israel it must take steps in 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid.
The letter outlined specific steps Israel must take including enabling a minimum of 350 trucks to enter Gaza per day, instituting pauses in fighting to allow aid delivery, and rescinding evacuation orders to Palestinian civilians when there is no operational need.
German court asked to block explosives shipment to Israeli firm
Human rights lawyers have filed a court appeal in Berlin seeking to block a shipment of military-grade explosives aboard a German cargo ship, which they say is to be delivered to Israel’s biggest defence contractor.
The European Legal Support Center (ELSC) said the action was filed on behalf of three Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that the shipment of primarily RDX explosives could be used in munitions for Israel’s war in Gaza, potentially contributing to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ELSC said the RDX shipment was destined for Israeli Military Industries, a division of Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defence contractor.
