White House approved more bombs to Israel on day of deadly Israeli attack on aid workers: WAPO

WASHINGTON -- The White House approved more bombs to Israel on the day the Israeli military struck a convoy and killed seven workers of a food charity group delivering aid to Gaza, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The Washington Post based its report on information it received from three US officials, who the newspaper said revealed the detail about the approval this week.

The State Department approved the transfer of more than 1,000 MK82 500-pound bombs, over 1,000 small-diameter bombs, and fuses for MK80 bombs, all from authorizations granted by Congress several years ago, said the report, citing the US officials.

Israeli forces carried out an airstrike Monday that resulted in the deaths of seven members of World Central Kitchen (WCK) as they were on route to distributing food to civilians in Gaza.

The Washington Post report went on to say that a State Department spokesperson confirmed that the approval for the transfer of the bombs occurred sometime "prior" to when the Israeli aircraft struck the aid convoy.

US arms transfer to Israel has come under increased scrutiny as outrage swelled worldwide over the deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Israel began its retaliatory military operation following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.

That the United States has so far shown no indication of limiting weapons for Israel has become even more controversial in light of the deadly Israeli attack on the WCK, which evoked international condemnation.