US restocks Israeli ammunition
Gaza/Jerusalem/ Washington: Shortly after it condemned the shelling of a United Nations-operated school in Gaza that killed at least 20 people and injured 90 others, the United States said that it has restocked Israel’s supplies of grenades and mortar rounds.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This defense sale is consistent with those objectives,” Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said.
According to Kirby, on July 20 Pentagon received a letter of request from Israel for a normal Foreign Military Sales delivery of ammunition. The request was process and the deal was signed three days letter.
Kirby said two of the requested munitions were available in the War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel (WRSA-I), on the ground in Israel, and were therefore delivered to the Israeli Defense Force from the stockpile.
“Both munitions had been in WRSA-I stock for a few years, well before the current crisis. All stocks in WRSA-I, as required by law, are ‘in excess to US requirements’. Issuing munitions from the WRSA-I stockpile was strictly a sourcing decision and White House approval was not required,” Kirby said.
Meanwhile, stepping up its offensive in Gaza, Israel has mobilised another 16,000 reservists to widen its 24-day military campaign against Hamas militants that has claimed more than 1,360 Palestinian lives, mostly civilians.
The Israeli security cabinet Thursday night approved continuing with the offensive ‘Operation Protective Edge’ launched on July 8 despite world leaders appealing Israel for restraint.
The new call-up orders, which takes the total number of reserves in the conflict to 86,000, coincides with stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war that has already claimed lives of more than 1,360 Palestinians – most of them civilians – and reduced the entire Gaza neighborhoods to ruins.
Some 58 Israelis have been killed, 56 soldiers and two civilians. A Thai worker in Israel has also died. Israel began the offensive with a goal to stop rocket barrages coming out of Gaza but later broadened its mandate to destroy Hamas’ network of tunnels, some of which have been used by the militants to carry out cross-border attacks inside Israel.
Despite the decision to press ahead with the operation, Israel has also sent a delegation to Egypt, which along with the US has failingly tried to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
On July 15, Israel had briefly halted its strikes in Gaza after accepting an Egyptian truce proposal, but resumed attacks the next day as militants in Gaza rejected the proposal. Ynet reported quoting a senior military source that the reservists will be called up “to give the army the time needed to complete the mission”.
“We will decide today where to place them and in which commands,” the source told the website. Casualties in the Israeli army has also been increasing with three Maglan unit soldiers killed yesterday when an explosive device went off in a booby-trapped house.
“The Maglan fighters went into the booby trapped structure east of Khan Younis in a search for a tunnel opening. The explosive was planted on the first floor. Three soldiers were killed and 14 wounded when the house collapsed on top of them,” the report said. Meanwhile, Israel has pledged to investigate a strike on a UN-run school that killed at least 16 people. Israel has come under intense criticism for targeting civillian structures. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said, “we will investigate that. And if we find that it was errant fire from Israel I am sure we will apologise.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, condemned the attack at a UNRWA-run school calling it “unjustifiable”.
“All available evidence points to Israeli artillery as the cause,” he said. Chris Gunness, spokesman for UNRWA, said Israel was told 17 times that the school housed displaced people. Gunness termed the attack a “universal shame”. Separately, militants in Gaza accused Israel of carrying out an attack at a market place during the four-hour “humanitarian ceasefire” announced by Jerusalem, killing 17 people. With no end in sight, the so-far longest conflict between Israel and Gaza-based militants has resulted in the death of 1360 Palestinians and injuring more than 6,000, a spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry said. Hamas has said it will only halt fire once it receives guarantees that a seven-year-old Gaza border blockade by Israel and Egypt will be lifted.
Egypt, a key mediator in previous truce negotiations between Israel and Hamas, was expected to host a Palestinian delegation later this week.
More than 180,000 people have been displaced in Gaza, mostly taking shelter in UNRWA run schools, following warning from Israel of attacks. (PTI)