State Department yet to act on nearly 500 reports of civilian deaths tied to US-supplied weapons in Gaza

WASHINGTON

The Biden administration received nearly 500 reports alleging Israel used US-supplied weapons in attacks causing civilian harm in the Gaza Strip but has not met its policy requirements for prompt investigations, according to a report.

Despite the State Department’s 2023 Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG) --which advises the agency to complete investigations and recommend actions within two months -- none of the cases have progressed to the "action" stage, the Washington Post reported Wednesday, citing current and former officials.

Most cases remain unresolved, with the Israeli government’s input awaited in many, it added.

The reports, gathered from US agencies, international organizations and the media, contain details and photographic evidence of US-manufactured bomb fragments found at sites where civilians, including children, were killed.

Human rights advocates argue that, based on the documentation, some of the incidents may constitute violations of US and international laws.

Asked about the reports, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday that the US is reviewing several incidents through CHIRG and other processes but refused to get into ongoing reviews.

"These are complicated issues. They’re complicated factual issues; they’re complicated legal issues," he said.

Referring to a NSM-20 (National Security Memorandum-20) report released in May, which noted it is "reasonable" to assess that there are instances where Israel may have violated international humanitarian law, Miller added: "But when it comes to specific incidents, those reviews are still ongoing."

Pressed why the US has not definitively determined that any incident violates international humanitarian law after more than a year, Miller described the determinations as "incredibly difficult."

WASHINGTON

Most cases remain unresolved, with the Israeli government’s input awaited in many, it added.

Human rights advocates argue that, based on the documentation, some of the incidents may constitute violations of US and international laws.

Asked about the reports, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday that the US is reviewing several incidents through CHIRG and other processes but refused to get into ongoing reviews.

"These are complicated issues. They’re complicated factual issues; they’re complicated legal issues," he said.

Pressed why the US has not definitively determined that any incident violates international humanitarian law after more than a year, Miller described the determinations as "incredibly difficult."