As newly freed Palestinian detainees recount torture, starvation, and other abuse suffered in Israeli prisons, the Trump administration has approved a new $3 billion arms package for Israel, further deepening U.S. complicity in a war that has left tens of thousands dead, maimed, or missing.
The weapons deal—reported by Zeteo’s Prem Thakker—includes nearly $2.716 billion worth of bombs and weapons guidance kits, as well as $295 million in bulldozers, military-grade vehicles that have been used in demolitions and battlefield operations. The administration claimed that “an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale,” allowing it to bypass congressional approval, a maneuver that previous administrations, including Biden’s, have also used to fast-track weapons to Israel. However, the arms will not be delivered until 2026 or 2027, raising questions about the true urgency of the sale.
The announcement comes as Israel faces genocide allegations before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a case brought by South Africa, and as the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The new arms deal adds to an unprecedented $17.9 billion in U.S. weapons transfers to Israel between October 2023 and October 2024, fueling a war that has:
• Killed, maimed, or displaced more than 170,000 Palestinians
• Destroyed entire neighborhoods and refugee camps
• Left millions displaced, starving, or sickened
Despite international condemnation, the Trump administration continues to funnel billions in military aid to Israel, even as evidence of war crimes, including targeted starvation, mass civilian casualties, and the systemic abuse of Palestinian detainees, mounts.
U.S. lawmakers are increasingly pushing back. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced this week that he is moving to block four additional arms sales worth $8.56 billion, citing Israel’s blatant disregard for international law and human rights.
As U.S. bombs and bulldozers are sent to reinforce Israel’s military campaign, some 1,000 Palestinian detainees released in a prisoner swap have returned with harrowing accounts of abuse suffered in Israeli captivity.
The Washington Post reported that many of these prisoners were arrested but never charged. The former detainees, visibly malnourished and psychologically scarred, described physical and psychological torture at the hands of Israeli forces.
Eyas al-Bursh, a doctor who was volunteering at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City when he was captured by Israeli troops, was held for 11 months in Sde Teiman and Ofer military prisons. He described the inhumane conditions:
“The places where we were held were harsh, sleep was impossible, and we remained handcuffed and blindfolded,” he told the Post.
“We endured psychological and physical torture without a single day of respite—whether through beatings, abuse, punches, or even verbal insults and humiliation.”
Another former detainee, Ashraf al-Radhi, a farmer held for 14 months, was imprisoned at Sde Teiman—a facility notorious for reports of severe abuse and human rights violations.
“We witnessed all kinds of humiliation,” al-Radhi told the Post.
He described weeks of being blindfolded, handcuffed, and crammed into filthy cells with dozens of others, without access to legal representation or knowledge of why he was arrested.
Al-Radhi also confirmed that another detainee, 44-year-old Mohammed al-Akka, died in custody last December under unclear circumstances.
Human rights groups have documented dozens of Palestinian deaths in Israeli custody, including at least one case where a prisoner was raped with an electric baton. Further allegations include Israeli reservists being investigated for the gang-rape of a detainee at Sde Teiman.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded to the Post’s reporting, stating that it “acts in accordance with Israeli and international law in order to protect the rights of the detainees held in the detention and questioning facilities.”
However, testimonies from survivors, legal experts, and human rights organizations contradict these claims, detailing systematic torture and mistreatment in Israeli detention centers.
Just as Palestinian prisoners report inhumane treatment, Israel has cut off all humanitarian aid to Gaza, violating ceasefire agreements and escalating famine conditions in the besieged enclave.
Following the expiration of a temporary ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that all humanitarian aid and fuel deliveries to Gaza would be halted, closing border crossings and blocking relief organizations.
Netanyahu confirmed that this decision was made “in full coordination with President Trump and his people.”
Hamas called the move a war crime, issuing a statement that the aid blockade was “cheap blackmail, a war crime, and a blatant coup against the [ceasefire] agreement.”
International legal scholars argue that Israel’s actions constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.
• Kenneth Roth, former head of Human Rights Watch:
• “Israel’s latest threat to cut off all aid is a resumption of the war-crime starvation strategy.”
• He noted that Netanyahu’s ICC arrest warrant was partly issued due to Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war.
• Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the blockade, stating:
• “Humanitarian aid should never be used as a tool of war.”
• The group’s emergency coordinator Caroline Seguin warned that cutting off aid would have “devastating consequences.”
As the blockade continues, millions of Palestinians are facing starvation and disease, with hospitals unable to function and humanitarian groups unable to reach civilians.
Fayza Nassar, a resident of Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp, told AP:
“There will be famine and chaos. Closing the crossings is a heinous crime.”
Conclusion: U.S. Military Aid to Israel Continues Despite Mounting War Crimes Allegations
Despite global outcry over Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Trump administration continues to provide unwavering military support, further entrenching U.S. complicity in human rights violations.
• The $3 billion arms package adds to an already record-breaking year of U.S. weapons shipments to Israel.
• Survivors of Israeli detention describe widespread torture, contradicting Israel’s claims that it upholds international law.
• The total blockade of humanitarian aid has been condemned as a war crime under international law.
With ICC arrest warrants issued against Israeli leadership and ICJ genocide proceedings ongoing, growing calls for the U.S. to halt arms sales to Israel are being met with resistance from the Trump administration.
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