Almost 500 cases of supposed civilian damage have been confirmed in Gaza that are traceable to US-made weapons Israel used since the Gaza War resumed October 7, 2023, officials briefed on the issue reported. Yet nothing officially has been done about them, these officials reported. It is under such instances and others that might involve possible violations of international law, that incidents are filed under the guidelines of the United States:

By instituting this new mechanism from the State Department, the State Department keeps on documenting every incident of civilian damage due to all arms extended by the United States everywhere in the world and makes reports based on the monitoring through Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance, on account of media sources, contact of the international world, and civil society organizations in compliance checks to keep its touch with the general rule of arms from the United States.

This three-step process of guidance includes incident analysis, policy impact assessment, and departmental action. Of all the incidents from Gaza that had been presented up to this point, none of these reached the final step. Answers may be in the form of consultation with Israel or even suspension of arms exports or future approvals, as informed by a former U.S. official.

 Biden Administration and Civilian Harm Concerns

But while admitting a good chance of international breaches within Gaza, the Biden administration does point out the importance of state department spokesperson Matthew Miller who underlines the need for “the most careful, thoughtful assessment.” “We want to get to the right answer,” Miller explained as underlining caution versus hasty conclusions.

According to John Ramming Chappell, legal adviser for the Center for Civilians in Conflict, “the U.S. government hasn’t done nearly enough to investigate how the Israeli military uses weapons made in the United States and paid for by U.S. taxpayers.” He further claims that the administration has not acted on this issue itself but has surrendered to investigations done by Israel on this particular matter.

Casualties and Accountability

This negligence does more than scrutinize the breaches of the law; it entails the cases where US-made weapons led to casualties. The results are recommendations for improved training and other gears to the military in cases where the offenses are significant and calls for drastic actions against people. The ever-mounting casualty toll at Gaza, already over the reported 43,000 Palestinians killed, has brought sharp scrutiny of Israel’s management of its military operation and the implications that US-made hardware carries.

Reports from Israel indicated that around 1,200 people were killed and 250 others abducted by Hamas in an attack launched on October 7 in southern Israel. The protractedconflict between Gaza and the US is escalating, with the stakes of military support in Gaza being raised.