Pentagon launches audit of 'Israel's' management of US weaponry
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While the audit is intended to review compliance with US defense protocols, it will not cover accusations of war crimes raised by human rights groups regarding the use of US-supplied munitions in Gaza.
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An Israeli Merkava is photographed on November 2, 2023, in Gaza, Palestine. (AP)
Bloomberg on Friday reported that the Pentagon's inspector general has launched an audit of "Israel's" management and security of US-supplied military equipment.
The review will assess "Israel's" "proper use, storage, and physical security" of American defense articles, including missiles, drones, and night-vision devices, according to a press release from the inspector general's office.
The audit is part of the Pentagon's heightened protocol to monitor "sensitive defense articles" provided to foreign allies, designed to ensure that US military aid is used appropriately and in compliance with oversight agreements.
This move comes amid rising international criticism of "Israel's" conduct in Gaza due to its genocidal campaign on the Strip.
While the audit is intended to review compliance with US defense protocols, it will not cover accusations raised by human rights groups regarding the use of US-supplied munitions in Gaza.
Mollie Halpern, a spokesperson for the inspector general's office, confirmed to Bloomberg that the audit will avoid assessing matters of civilian harm, even as Gaza health officials report over 42,000 Palestinian martyrs since the war began.
Established Oversight
This scrutiny is not new; earlier audits by the inspector general's office of US military aid to Ukraine and Iraq revealed oversight challenges in ensuring proper end-use.
In a similar response, the Biden administration temporarily halted the delivery of 3,500 bombs to "Israel" in May, expressing concerns over the use of certain 2,000-pound explosives in densely populated Gaza areas.
Nevertheless, the Pentagon last year expanded military support to "Israel", including the provision of laser-guided missiles, bunker-buster munitions, and Apache gunship armaments, as disclosed in internal Defense Department documents.
The audit will span key US defense entities, including the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and US Central Command, with anticipated completion in the coming months.
Observers note that although the review may underscore compliance issues, it is unlikely to immediately impact US-"Israel" relations, especially as the findings will likely contain substantial redactions when publicly released.
Read more: IOF storm Kamal Adwan Hospital, commit massacre in Beit Lahia
Since the start of the war, "Israel" has been targeting civilian residences and infrastructure, with the stated objective of ethnically cleansing Palestinian presence from the Gaza Strip.
The latest wave of intensified aggression targeted the Jabalia refugee camp, where over 770 people were killed in just 19 days.
Last week, UN human rights official Volker Turk warned "Israel" that any "large-scale forcible transfer" of people out of northern Gaza might be considered a war crime if not justified by "imperative military grounds."
Violations of International Law
A recent study by Harvard University has revealed that "Israel" used US-made Mark-84 (MK-84) bombs "dangerously close" to hospitals in Gaza during the 40 days following October 7, 2023.
The research, conducted by the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, found that the bombs were detonated within 800 meters of 83% of the hospitals studied, pointing out to violations of international humanitarian law.
The study, published in the journal PLOS Global Public Health, examined satellite imagery to analyze craters left by the bombings. It focused on 36 hospitals in Gaza, revealing that explosions occurred as close as 14 meters to some facilities.
More than 100 MK-84 bombs were dropped in the area, with 38 of them landing within 800 meters of hospitals in the designated "evacuation zone" for Palestinian civilians.
