The United States will provide an additional $3.5 billion to Israel for the purchase of American-made weapons and military equipment, Al Jazeera reported quoting Department of State announcement.
This move comes as the genocide in Gaza extends into its 10th month, amid allegations of widespread Israeli military abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories.
On Friday, a State Department spokesperson confirmed that Congress was notified on Thursday of the Biden administration’s decision to release billions in foreign military financing to Israel.
US media first reported the release of these funds, which are part of a $14.5 billion supplemental funding bill for Israel passed by Congress in April. This supplemental budget is in addition to the annual US military aid to Israel, which exceeds $3 billion.
A portion of the new aid will go to an Israeli military unit accused of human rights abuses against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The State Department decided against sanctioning the unit, citing satisfaction with Israel’s efforts to address violations, which it claims have been “effectively remediated.”
While the unit has not been publicly named, it is believed to be the Netzah Yehuda battalion, historically based in the occupied West Bank. The battalion has been linked to the abuse of Palestinian civilians, including the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian-American man after his detention by the unit in 2022.
The decision to approve funding for Netzah Yehuda follows US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s April finding that an Israeli army battalion committed serious human rights abuses against Palestinians, which prompted an investigation under the US Leahy Law, which governs military aid to foreign forces.
The Israeli army has killed 40 more Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, taking the overall death toll to 39,790 since last October 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Saturday.
A ministry statement added that some 91,702 other people have been injured in the assault.
“Israeli forces killed 40 people and injured 140 others in three ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.
“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
