US authorises billions more in weapons to Israel: Washington Post

The Washington Post reported that in recent days, the Biden administration has approved the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel, despite growing concerns from lawmakers about the use of these weapons in Israel's war on Gaza.

The Post reported that the new authorisations include "more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs".

“We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” a White House official told the newspaper. “Conditioning aid has not been our policy.”

Some Democrats have been calling for the administration to condition arms sales to Israel because Israel is blocking aid to the enclave and because of its conduct in the war, which rights groups and legal experts have said has crossed the threshold of genocide.

“The Biden administration needs to use their leverage effectively and, in my view, they should receive these basic commitments before greenlighting more bombs for Gaza,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen told the Post. “We need to back up what we say with what we do.”