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The U.S. has released a report raising concerns about Israel's war conduct in Gaza, stating that it was "reasonable to assess" that Israel has violated international humanitarian law. The report, which looked into whether Israel violated international humanitarian law, described "sufficient reported incidents to raise serious concerns" about how Israeli forces have carried out the war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza. The report drew on assessments from multiple U.S. agencies, including bureaus in the State Department, Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. The report also found credible reports of "Israeli airstrikes impacting civilians and civilian objects unrelated to humanitarian operations that have raised questions about Israel’s compliance with its legal obligations." The report comes after Biden has paused a delivery of heavy bombs to Israel and vowed to hold more offensive weapons if Israeli forces launch a major operation in Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. The report has drawn intense backlash from some members of Congress, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) calling it "woefully inadequate." The report was mandated by National Security Memorandum 20, which Biden issued in February under pressure from congressional Democrats to scrutinize Israel’s use of U.S. weapons in its war against Hamas. Biden, earlier in the week, paused the transfer of more than 3,000 heavy bombs to Israel. And the president warned in an interview with CNN — broadcast Wednesday — that the U.S. could hold back more arms transfers if Israel launched a major offensive into Rafah, the southern Gazan city believed to be the last holdout for Hamas but sheltering more than 1 million displaced Palestinians.
