State Department: Trump administration will be obligated to continue investigation of Israeli actions in Gaza

(Patria) - The US State Department's obligation to continue investigating certain Israeli actions in the war in Gaza will pass to the new administration of newly elected Republican President Donald Trump, the department's spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

US President Joe Biden will leave office on January 20 and hand it over to Trump. State Department officials identified hundreds of potential incidents of civilian harm during Israeli military operations in Gaza that involved weapons supplied by Washington but took no further action on them, sources told Reuters in late October.

Washington has maintained military and diplomatic support for its ally despite criticism from human rights groups over more than 46,000 deaths in Israel's war in Gaza. The Israeli military offensive has also led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.

"We continue to work towards final determinations regarding a number of incidents that we are looking at," the State Department spokesperson said when asked about Israeli actions being reviewed by the US government.

"But I can tell you that the obligation that the State Department has to investigate potential violations of international humanitarian law using US weapons are not obligations that expire on January 20. They are obligations that carry over from this administration to the next administration."

Negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza that has displaced the enclave's entire population and caused starvation. The latest bloodshed was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.