In a long-awaited report to Congress, the United States expressed its concerns over Israel's use of American-supplied weapons, stating that it is "reasonable to assess" that these weapons have been used in ways inconsistent with international human rights law. However, despite these concerns, there is not enough concrete evidence to link specific US-supplied weapons to violations or warrant cutting the supply of arms.

The report, mandated by a national security memorandum signed by President Joe Biden in February, aimed to assess whether recipients of US arms were complying with human rights law. While the assurances given by Israel and other countries under scrutiny were considered "credible and reliable," the report raised deep misgivings about Israeli compliance.

The state department report highlighted Israel's significant reliance on US-made defense articles and concluded that these articles have been used by Israeli security forces in instances inconsistent with international humanitarian law and established best practices for mitigating civilian harm since October 7. However, the report clarified that there is still insufficient evidence to recommend the suspension of US arms supplies to Israel.

Although the report acknowledged that Israel's procedures and rules have been examined, complete information to verify whether US defense articles covered under the national security memorandum were specifically used in alleged violations of international human rights law was not available.

The report also addressed Israel's provision of humanitarian assistance in Gaza, noting that Israel did not fully cooperate with US government efforts to maximize humanitarian assistance flow and distribution within the region. However, it acknowledged that Israel had significantly increased humanitarian access.

An official within the Biden administration stated that, while the report reflects concerns regarding Israel's conduct in the Gaza war, no definitive finding has been made regarding the use of a US weapon in a specific incident that would constitute a war crime. Multiple incident reviews have been ongoing within the state department, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken yet to make their findings public.

It is important to note that the report covers the period up to the end of April, and therefore does not include analysis of the subsequent closure of entry points into Gaza resulting from the Israeli offensive on Rafah.

The report's release underscores the Biden administration's commitment to assess the use of US-supplied weapons by allies and ensure compliance with international human rights law. As further investigations continue, the implications of this assessment remain uncertain, leaving room for potential future actions regarding US arms supplies to Israel.