Healthcare workers, activists rally in New York in solidarity with Gaza
Healthcare workers and allies protest in support of Gaza outside of New York University’s Tisch hospital in New York City on January 6
US shifts some military aid from Egypt to Lebanon to support ceasefire: Report
The outgoing Biden administration will shift $95m in military aid allocated for Egypt to Lebanon, as it supports the country’s military in its attempts to enforce a fragile ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, the Reuters news agency reports.
Citing a State Department document sent to Congress, Reuters reports that the Biden administration has called the Lebanese armed forces “a key partner” in upholding the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on November 27.
The move also comes after some Democrats in the Congress expressed deep concern about Egypt’s human rights record, specifically the detention of thousands of political prisoners by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
This latest move appears to reverse the Biden administration’s previous announcement in September that it would be granting Cairo its full allocation of $1.3bn in military aid.
Meanwhile providing Israel with over 80 times that, a further 8 billion in military aid.
Sanders condemns Biden’s plan to send Israel more weapons
US Senator Bernie Sanders has spoken out against the Biden administration’s decision to approve $8bn in new weapons for Israel.
“The U.S. must not send more bombs to Netanyahu’s extremist government, which has already killed 45,000 people; destroyed Gaza’s housing, healthcare, and educational systems; and caused starvation by blocking humanitarian aid,” the legislator wrote on X.
“I will do all that I can to block these arms sales,” he said.
The planned weapons shipments – which require approval from Congress – include $6.75bn in precision-guided missiles and small bombs, $300m in 155mm artillery shells, $600m in Hellfire missiles and $300m in Amraam air-to-air missiles, according to The Financial Times newspaper.
Previously, in August, the US also approved the sale of $20bn in fighter jets and other military equipment to Israel.
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