US Approves Military Aid for Israeli Unit Linked to Detainee’s Death

78-year-old Palestinian-American Omar Assad died after being detained, gagged, and bound by members of Israel’s Netzah Yehuda battalion.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel speaks with reporters during a press briefing at the State Department in Washington on July 27, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The U.S. government has cleared foreign military assistance for an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) unit that was implicated in the 2022 death of a Palestinian American man.

U.S. assistance can flow to the IDF’s Netzah Yehuda battalion, following a multi-month review process, State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel confirmed at an Aug. 12 press briefing.