Washington DC - Despite widespread concerns about the catastrophic effects of Israel's war on Gaza and opposition to an expansive ground operation in overcrowded Rafah, the US is continuing to provide billions in arms aid to its ally.

The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing unnamed officials in the Pentagon and the State Department, that US President Joe Biden's administration has "quietly" authorized bombs and fighter jets to Israel in recent days, including 2,000-pound bombs of the MK84 type, despite the tense relations between the two countries.

This shows that the US government is still not willing to use arms transfers as a means of exerting influence on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu are currently tense, with an Israeli delegation calling off its trip to Washington this week after the US for once didn't use its veto at the UN Security Council to block a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Efforts are underway to find a new date for the visit.

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But the strained atmosphere and declarations of anguish for Palestinians haven't prevented Biden from continuing to send weapons and military equipment to Israel, even as Israel faces increasingly loud accusations of perpetrating war crimes and genocide against Palestinians.

As reports of the arms transfer broke, State Department officials were confirming that full-blown famine is probably "present in at least some areas" of Gaza's north, which Israel has cut off from all aid.

With the official death toll nearing 33,000 – most likely an undercount – the International Court of Justice on Thursday issued new provisional measures against Israel to prevent genocide.