US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has allegedly delayed taking action on a recommendation from a special panel within his department to suspend assistance to Israeli forces due to human rights violations against Palestinians.

According to a report by the New York-based ProPublica news site, the Israel Leahy Vetting Forum, a special committee at the State Department, advised Blinken in December to disqualify certain Israeli military and police units from receiving US aid. However, these recommendations have reportedly remained untouched in Blinken's briefcase.

The panel, comprising experts on West Asia and human rights, examined incidents such as extrajudicial killings of Palestinians by Israeli police, the mistreatment of an elderly Palestinian-American man who later died, and allegations of torture and rape involving a teenager. Most of these reported violations occurred in the occupied West Bank prior to Israel's conflict with Gaza over six months ago.

In October, Israel initiated a conflict with Gaza following an operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group, leading to significant casualties. Israel's actions have resulted in the deaths of at least 33,970 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and left 76,770 others injured.

During the Gaza conflict, the US, a staunch ally of Israel, expedited arms shipments to the Israeli regime and vetoed UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. Washington has supplied Israel with over 10,000 tons of military equipment.

Human rights organizations monitoring the situation have gathered eyewitness testimonies and videos documenting Israeli war crimes in Gaza. Former director in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Josh Paul, commented on the culture of impunity fostered by US support.

Recently, over two dozen Democratic lawmakers urged President Joe Biden's administration to investigate claims that Israel may be using American weapons in violation of international law.