US Officials Frustrated by Israeli Demands for Better Intelligence Sharing - Reports
© AP Photo / Miriam AlsterUS President Joe Biden pauses during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 18, 2023
© AP Photo / Miriam Alster
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Some US officials are frustrated with demands by Israel to provide more intelligence than the United States is already sharing, the Washington Post reported on Friday.
The United States has provided Israel with drone footage, satellite imagery, communications intercepts and other forms of intelligence in the wake of Palestinian organization Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack, the report said, citing current and former US and Israeli intelligence officials.
However, Israeli officials believe that the United States has not provided any sort of intelligence that they could not have gathered themselves, the report said.
US officials view Israeli demands for better intelligence as resting on a flawed assumption that the United States is withholding some information.
The Biden administration restricted the use of US-provided intelligence to locating hostages taken by Hamas, but some US lawmakers are concerned that Israeli could be using the data in airstrikes and other military operations.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, during which some 1,100 Israeli military personnel and civilians were killed and some 240 abducted. Israel subsequently began military operations in the Gaza Strip, including hostage rescue efforts. Some 120 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, approximately one-third of whom are thought to be dead.
The Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 37,100 people, according to local authorities.