According to an internal State Department note acquired by Reuters, some top US officials have warned Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find "credible or reliable" Israel's assurances that it is deploying US-supplied weaponry in compliance with international humanitarian law.

Under a National Security Memorandum (NSM) issued by President Joe Biden in February, Blinken must report to Congress by May 8 on whether he believes "Israel's" assurances that its use of US weaponry does not violate US or international law.

By March 24, at least seven State Department bureaus had submitted contributions to an early "options memo" to Blinken. Parts of the document that had not been previously publicized were classified.

According to Reuters, a combined statement from four bureaus - Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Population, Refugees, and Migration; Global Criminal Justice, and International Organization Affairs - expressed "serious concern" over "Israel's" violations of international humanitarian law in the war on Gaza.

All 4 agencies concluded that "Israel's" promises were "neither credible nor reliable," citing 8 examples of activities the diplomats say raise "serious questions" concerning violations of international law.

Included were repeated strikes on civilian infrastructure and protected areas, "unconscionably high levels of civilian harm to military advantage"; barely investigating violations or holding those responsible for significant civilian harm accountable; and "killing humanitarian workers and journalists at an unprecedented rate."

Also cited were 11 occurrences of the IOF "Arbitrarily restricting humanitarian aid," like denying whole trucks and "Artificial" inspection limitations in addition to targeting humanitarian sites. 

See this: 'Israel's' obliteration of infrastructure and residential areas in the Gaza Strip

One submission from the Bureau of Political and Military Affairs, involved with US military aid to "Israel", warned Blinken that halting US weapons would allegedly encourage "provocations" from Iran, according to the bureau's proposal, highlighting the department's internal conflict as it prepares to report to Congress.

The submission did not specifically address "Israel's" guarantees and according to a US official, the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism and US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew deemed "Israel's" assurances trustworthy and dependable.

USAID also contributed to the memo explaining that "The killing of nearly 32,000 people, of which the GOI (Government of Israel) itself assesses roughly two-thirds are civilian, may well amount to a violation of the international humanitarian law requirement."

Related News

What Israeli-made famine has done to Gaza's children: NYT

Famine, massacres, and relentless strikes turning Gaza to 'wasteland'

Speaking to the press on April 2, a White House spokesperson John Kirby said that the United States had looked into several actions by Israeli occupation forces in Gaza "in the past" and had not found "any incidents where the Israelis have violated international humanitarian law."

US seeks Israeli assurances on arms aid: US State Dept. to Al Mayadeen

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council told Al Mayadeen in February that the National Security Memorandum on Safeguards and Accountability regarding military equipment and services sent to others does not stipulate imposing new measures as far as military aid is concerned. Rather, it merely demands guarantees of compliance with existing controls.

He further claimed that the memorandum includes measures that have been applied to “Israel” for a long time and that it also applies to all the countries that the United States supplies with weapons, pursuant to American law.

The requirement for this assurance stems from a memorandum issued earlier this month by President Joe Biden, prompted by Democratic members of the US Senate. Many Democrats have voiced concerns regarding "Israel's" bombardments and aggression on Gaza, which have led to the deaths of almost 35,000 Palestinians and the displacement of others.

Palestinian testimonies show depth of Israeli atrocities: UN expert

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Francesca Albanese, stated this week that the Occupied Palestinian Territory is engulfed in a spiral of unrelenting violence, with stories relayed by Palestinians and other witnesses adding new depths to atrocities witnessed by the world since the war on Gaza began over 6 months ago.

Concluding a visit to Egypt and Jordan, Albanese expressed that the rate and speed of the spread of violence has confirmed that "no Palestinian is safe under Israel’s unfettered control."

"Israel" has yet again denied Albanese access to Gaza, forcing her to report on their plight from surrounding nations in what she believes is proof the situation is much worse than believed.

She reported that many of the victims she met had suffered catastrophic losses and injuries and had seen firsthand the scale of Israeli destruction of Gaza's health sector.

Patients who previously arrived in Egypt with explosive and war-related symptoms are now joined by those suffering from chronic ailments and/or hunger, particularly children, as a result of the intentional famine inflicted by "Israel".

“Those who have left Gaza come out fractured and wracked by ‘survivors’ guilt’ and severe trauma,” Albanese detailed.

“Just 50 kilometers away from the Gaza Strip, crucial, life-sustaining aid and goods, including water desalination equipment, first aid kits, oxygen cylinders, and portable toilets – paid for by taxpayers across the world – languish in warehouses, barred entry into Gaza on the pretext of use by combatants.”

The expert added that humanitarian measures put in place are “grossly inadequate to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe that Israel’s assault has created, as it ignores its obligations "to a degree that warrants a call for sanctions."