Biden's new arms deal with Israel will cost $735 million; the Israel Defense Force used JDAMS to hit targets like the Gaza Tower.
Biden's New Arms Deal to Israel
Reports say the Arms Deal that got President Joe Biden's okay will have advanced precision-guided weapons that the IDF used to attack Palestinian Hamas positions in the civilian Gaza strip. One of the claims that the Islamists say the Israeli forces attacked the Gaza Tower intentionally, reported Newsweek.
Last May 5, The arms sale, initially announced by The Washington Post and confirmed by two congressional staffers to Newsweek, was disclosed to congressional committee chairs.
Congressional committee chairs were notified on May 5 of the weapons sale, first reported Monday by The Washington Post and confirmed to Newsweek by two congressional staffers.
The notice was issued just days before rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians escalated into a deadly rocket barrage involving Palestinians firing missiles on one side and IDF bombings and artillery strikes on the other.
Arms package for the IDF
Part of the arms included are the Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) which make these missiles into precise, smart bombs that can find their target once launched. This deal is subject to a 15-day review that will end on Thursday, in the middle of an intensified incident in the decades-long conflict between the Jews and Arabs.
Last Saturday, the IDF bombed Gaza's Al-Jalaa Tower that housed the offices of top media outlets, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Staff hurried out of the building after Israeli authorities provided everyone warning of the impending attack. Biden's new arms deal with Israel is crucial to the IDF offensive.
Read the article: Iron Dome Stops Hamas Rockets and Shields Israel from Repeated Barrages
International concern is growing as the violence on both sides of what has now exploded into one of the worst conflicts involving Israeli and Palestinian forces in decades. One bloodless attack, in particular, has drawn worldwide publicity.
Israeli assets said the Hamas used the Palestinians as Human shields.
According to the IDF, the Gaza Tower is used by the Islamists to house their weapons and their intelligence that operates amidst civilian locations, which was caught by the cameras of the JDAMS. On its way to the target, these munitions record images of activity in the tower, which is part of the capability of the weapons provided by the U.S., noted Al Jazeera.
When asked about the proposed arms sale by reporters last Monday, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pointed to the State Department, claiming she didn't think "any potential deals or gun sales" had been revealed. However, it highlighted the strong relations that the two allies have preserved.
U.S. officials are "restricted by Current rules and policy from publicly commenting on or confirming details of licensing activity associated with direct commercial sales of export-controlled defense articles or services," said a State Department spokesperson.
However, the continuing turmoil in the region, the Biden administration's spokesperson added a call for de-escalation as it works with regional countries to resolve the crisis.
In response to concerns, because Israel chose to bomb the building, IDF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus offered a three-part rationale for the airstrike. He said the structure was "not a media tower or a media center," but instead a militant center used by Hamas.
He stressed how the IDF has learned how Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have inserted their military networks to limit Israeli forces "under civilian facilities." Even with Biden's news arms deal to Israel, they are hampered by the Palestinians using civilian cover.
