United States support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war
Following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, the United States began to send warships and military aircraft into the Eastern Mediterranean and began sending Israel more military supplies. The US stated that Israel would receive "whatever it needs" to support its offensive against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
After an initial period of Western support for the offensive, Israel and the United States became increasingly isolated amid growing worldwide calls for a ceasefire, with the US vetoing three w:United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. International rights groups have condemned the U.S. for providing military and diplomatic support to Israel that they say risks complicity in Israeli war crimes. By March 7, 2024, the US had sent Israel over 100 weapons shipments since the war began.
Quotes
edit- The security package I’m sending to Congress and asking Congress to do is an unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security that will sharpen Israel’s qualitative military edge, which we’ve committed to -- the qualitative military edge. We’re going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel. We’re going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading. Look, at the same time, President Netanyahu and I discussed again yesterday the critical need for Israel to operate by the laws of war. That means protecting civilians in combat as best as they can. The people of Gaza urgently need food, water, and medicine. Yesterday, in discussions with the leaders of Israel and Egypt, I secured an agreement for the first shipment of humanitarian assistance from the United Nations to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. If Hamas does not divert or steal this shipment -- these shipments, we’re going to provide an opening for sustained delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians. And as I said in Israel: As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution. Israel and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity, and peace.
- U.S. President Joe Biden, Oval Office Address to the Nation on the U.S. Response to Hamas Terrorist Attacks Against Israel and Ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, delivered 19 October 2023
