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The Biden administration said Friday that it was “reasonable to consider” that Israeli forces used US weapons in Gaza “inconsistently” with international humanitarian law, but stopped short of officially saying that Israel violated the law.

A statement prepared by the State Department said it was investigating possible violations, but noted that the United States “does not have sufficient information” to verify whether US weapons were “specifically used” in alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

“Given the nature of the conflict in Gaza, Hamas’ attempts to hide behind civilians and infrastructure to expose them to Israeli military action, as well as the absence of US government personnel in Gaza, is difficult to assess or achieve. However, conclusive results indicate that the Israeli Defense Forces rely heavily on US-made defense equipment. procedures that minimize harm to the public,” the report said.

The report, which covers the October 7 outbreak of war with Hamas until the end of April, does not conclude that Israel withheld humanitarian aid to Gaza in violation of US law.

While the report does not consider Israel to have violated any of the terms of the memorandum, it has strongly criticized the balance of the Israeli military campaign. The report’s findings mark another moment of tension in US-Israeli relations, the same week President Joe Biden threatened to limit arms transfers if Israel launched a major offensive in Rafah.

However, the final conclusion, namely that the assurances provided by Israel under the National Security Memorandum are “credible and credible,” may come under scrutiny from some lawmakers and humanitarian and human rights organizations.

The statement does not compel the Israeli government to take any action, and does not imply any change in policy. The administration has largely avoided restricting military aid to Israel, but in a significant shift before the report was released, Biden publicly said in an interview with CNN this week that if Israel launched a major attack on Gaza City, it would limit some of the attacks. Arms to Israel.

The high-risk report was classified and sent to the Capitol on Friday afternoon. The administration had to make a decision on those two issues under a February national security memo that Biden released under pressure from Democratic lawmakers. It is the first time the US government has assessed Israel’s conduct in its seven-month war with Hamas in Gaza, fueled by the terrorist group’s brutal offensive that has killed more than 34,000 people. Coastal area destroyed.

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