The Wall Street Journal quoted current and former American officials as saying that the administration of President Joe Biden is preparing to send bombs and other ammunition to Israel that would increase its military power, at a time when the United States is seeking a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper said that the proposed new weapons shipment includes MK-82 bombs, KMU-572 joint direct attack munitions that add precise guidance to bombs, and FMU-139 bomb fuses.

It added that the value of the shipment is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, and quoted an American official that the Biden administration is still studying the proposed shipment.

The official said details of the deal may change before the administration informs congressional leaders, who must approve the shipment.

The revelation of the US administration's intention to supply Israel with additional weapons comes despite mounting criticism and accusations against Washington of supplying Tel Aviv with lethal weapons that cause large numbers of casualties in the Gaza Strip.

Since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, the United States has established an air bridge to supply Israel with large quantities of weapons and military equipment.

In late January, Israeli Channel 12 reported that an American arms shipment including dozens of F-35 and F-15 fighters and Apache helicopters would arrive in Israel, noting that this came as part of what it described as a huge military deal between Israel and the United States. United.

Last December, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that the United States had sent more than 230 cargo planes and 20 ships loaded with weapons to Israel since the start of the war on Gaza.

Weapon ban

Meanwhile, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders Mary Lawlor called for an arms embargo on Israel due to its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

Lawlor said in an interview with Anadolu Agency that any country working to fuel this conflict by supplying weapons to Israel must stop doing so.

She added that Israel is considered an occupying force in Gaza, and it should not wage war on the occupied territories, but it does.

The UN rapporteur criticized the halting of funding by some countries to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), claiming the involvement of some of the agency's employees in the attack of last October 7.

Lawlor said that the International Court of Justice will decide on the situation in the Gaza Strip, and added that whether genocide occurred or not, there is a risk of it occurring in Gaza.

Source: Anadolu Agency + Wall Street Journal