US Completes 500th Arms Delivery to Israel Since Oct. 7

The US has completed its 500th arms shipment to Israel since Hamas launched the ongoing war in Gaza on Oct. 7, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. 

The Biden administration has delivered over 50,000 tons of weapons to the Jewish state, assisting in its attempt to vanquish the Hamas terrorist group from the Gaza Strip. The arms deliveries since Oct. 7 — when Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdered 1,200 people, and kidnapped about 250 hostages — have consisted of both offensive and defensive weapons. 

Israel’s Defense Ministry stated that the shipments included “armored vehicles, munitions, ammunition, personal protection gear, and medical equipment, which are crucial for sustaining the IDF’s [Israel Defense Force’s] operational capabilities during the ongoing war.”

US military assistance to Israel has been a key focus of discussion between Washington and Jerusalem over the past 10 months.

Last week, US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed “active and ongoing US efforts to support Israel’s defense against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis,” the White House said.

During his address to a joint session of the US Congress in July, Netanyahu urged American lawmakers to approve new arms shipments to Israel, arguing that a fresh batch of heavy-duty weapons would “expedite” an end to the war in Gaza. 

The Biden administration halted deliveries of 2,000- and 500-pound bombs to Israel in May, citing disagreement with the Jewish state’s decision to greenlight military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The White House argued that an intensive military campaign in Rafah would recklessly endanger the lives of Palestinian civilians. Israel insisted that extensive operations in Rafah were necessary to dismantle the remaining Hamas battalions in Gaza.

Netanyahu complicated matters in June after he released a video publicly accusing the Biden administration of withholding arms shipments and indicating he was promised by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Washington would resolve the delays. The video incensed the White House, throwing a wrench in ongoing negotiations with Israel to resume weapons transfers. 

The Jewish state may also need increased weapons shipments as it continues its standoff against the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon. Hezbollah terrorists have been firing rockets at Israel daily from southern Lebanon since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, leading Israeli forces to strike back.

Some 80,000 Israelis have evacuated Israel’s north and been unable to return to their homes. The majority of those spent the past 10 months residing in hotels in safer areas of the country.

On Sunday, Israel launched preemptive strikes against Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon, destroying thousands of drones and rocket launchers belonging to the terrorist group, after detecting an imminent attack on the Jewish state. Hezbollah, which is Iran’s chief proxy force in the Middle East, subsequently fired some 300 projectiles into Israel.

Analysts have suggested that Israel’s successful attacks on Lebanese military targets potentially saved the two countries from escalating into a broader war, indicating that arming Israel might help stave off a region-wide conflict.

“Both [Hezbollah and Israel] are pleased with the results, which makes a descent into full-blown war less likely,” a senior Middle Eastern diplomat told The Washington Post.

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