As violence between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas escalates, American President Joe Biden has approved the sale of $735 million in precision-guided weapons to Israel.
According to a report published in the Washington Post, a major part of the proposed sale is of Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMS, kits that transform so-called “dumb” bombs into precision-guided missiles. Israel, which has bought a great many numbers of JDAMS from the US in the past, has said that it has been using precision-guided missiles to attack Hamas hideouts in Gaza to avoid civilian casualties.
The Congress was officially notified of the proposed sale on May 5, days before the tensions between Israel and Palestine spiralled into a full-fledged war, with Hamas terror outfit launching rockets towards Israel and the Jewish Nation retaliating back with even more ferocity. So far, about 200 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have died in the crisis that has been worse since the 2014 Hamas-Israeli war that lasted nearly two months.
As per US laws, the incumbent government is required to inform Congress of such sales, although official notification usually comes after Congress has informally agreed. Once the formal notification is made as in this case, the legislators have 20 days to object with a non-binding resolution of disapproval.
The weapons sale by the Joe Biden administration is likely to attract opposition from at least some members within his party who have been vocal in their support for Palestine.
Tensions between Israel and Palestine escalates after Hamas launches aerial rockets at the Jewish nation
Hostilities between Israel and its nemesis Hamas is at an all-time high, especially after the intense aerial exchanges that started on Tuesday evening and continued well past midnight. On Tuesday, Palestinian terrorist organisation Hamas unleashed massive airstrikes against Israel, firing hundreds of rockets inside the country. The country’s air defence system, popularly known as Iron Dome, intercepted the continuous barrage of rockets targeting Tel Aviv and central Israel.
Israel, in response, stepped up its attacks on the Palestinian terror group Hamas inside Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces carried out airstrikes on targets in Gaza in response to continued attacks by Hamas against Israel. During the retaliatory strikes on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike struck a high-rise office and residential building controlled by Hamas.
Last week, Israel attacked and destroyed the underground network of the tunnel, dubbed as the “Metro” that was used by Hamas for deploying terrorists and smuggling weapons.
A couple of days ago, in one of the most audacious attacks against Hamas, Israel demolished the Al Jalaa building that housed Al Jazeera and other international media offices. Israel defended the move claiming that Hamas operatives use tall buildings, including buildings used by the media outlets, to carry out their illegal activities.
