Iclal Turan
14 February 2024•Update: 14 February 2024
WASHINGTON
The US State Department is investigating airstrikes conducted by Israel in the Gaza Strip, which killed dozens of civilians, as well as the alleged use of white phosphorus in Lebanon in October, according to a report released Wednesday.
The investigation is to determine whether Israel has inappropriately used weapons provided by the US to kill civilians, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials.
Officials said the agency is investigating an airstrike on Oct. 31 in the Jabalia refugee camp, which killed more than 125 victims.
Weapons investigators have suspicions that Israel may have used a 2,000-pound bomb in the strike, which could have been supplied by the US, said the report.
Asked about the report, spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed that the State Department is reviewing reports of human rights violations and civilian harm incidents through the CHIRG (Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance) process the US set up last August.
But he refused to comment on specific incidents that may be under review, adding that the agency assesses incidents to see whether civilian harm occurred as well as to identify appropriate policy responses.
Miller said Tuesday that the process is “not intended to function as a rapid response mechanism.”
“Rather, it is designed to systematically assess civilian harm incidents and develop appropriate policy responses to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring in the future, and to drive partners to conduct military operations in accordance with international humanitarian law,” he said.
The US is facing a barrage of criticism for providing military assistance to Israel despite reports that it is targeting civilians, with more than 28,000 killed in Gaza, and credible reports of international law violations.
During the decades, Israel has been by far the largest recipient of US foreign aid.
Six-year-old Hind Rajab was recently killed alongside her family in a car by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip while reports by the Geneva-based Euro-Med Monitor said shell fragments of an American-made M830A1 projectile were found at the site of a bombed Red Crescent ambulance that was looking for the family.
Asked about the reports of American-made weapons found at the scene, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in response to Anadolu's question during a news conference Monday that he is not able to verify the reports.
“Whether weapons are provided by the United States or that they have acquired through some other method or that they manufacture them themselves, it is our expectation that they use them in full compliance with the laws of war, and we engage with them on that matter,” said Miller.
Last week, the White House released a directive requiring countries receiving weapons from the US to provide "credible and reliable" written assurances to the State Department that they comply with international law.
