TEHRAN- US President Donald Trump, who claims credit for last month’s ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, has consistently expressed a desire to conclude the conflict in Gaza.

But his actions since assuming office on January 20 indicate that he is emboldening Israel to resume the war on the Palestinian territory. 

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump has floated a new $1 billion arms sale to Israel.

According to the WSJ, the White House has asked Congress to approve the arms package.  

The planned weapons sales include 4,700 1,000-pound bombs, worth more than $700 million, as well as armored bulldozers built by Caterpillar, worth more than $300 million, the report cited US officials as saying. 

On January 25, Trump also ordered the US military to release a shipment of MK-84 2,000-pound bombs to Israel held up by his predecessor Joe Biden who had cited concerns over civilian casualties in Gaza. 

The announcement concerning the transfer of $1 billion in bombs and other military equipment to Israel coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States, which primarily focuses on the Gaza ceasefire agreement.

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas which took effect on January 19 is set to be implemented in three phases. It would lead to the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and the release of captives held in Gaza. 

The Israeli military invaded Gaza on October 7, 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel. The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 individuals, with approximately 250 others being taken captive.

Netanyahu had vowed to continue the war until eliminating Hamas and releasing all the captives.

He had no choice but to consent to the ceasefire following his inability to accomplish his military objectives.

During the course of the Gaza war, the Biden administration threw its full political and military weight behind Israel. 

A report from Brown University's Costs of War project revealed in October last year that Washington had committed a record $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel since the start of the Gaza war. 

In early January this year, the Biden administration also informed Congress of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel.

Biden’s decision to pause the shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in May was just in line with efforts to appease domestic opposition to Washington’s support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

According to health officials in Gaza, more than 61,700 Palestinians including close to 18,000 children have lost their lives in the conflict. 

Biden did not hesitate to wait on Israel hand and foot. Trump will also toe the line of influential Zionist lobbies in the United States. 

Some argue that Biden was unable to exert pressure on Israel to end the war but Trump’s election pushed the regime to agree to the truce agreement. 

Such ideas are delusional because the ceasefire emerged from Israel’s military setbacks in the face of rising resistance in Gaza. 

Before his inauguration, Trump had signaled eagerness to end the Gaza war. But it does not mean that he is a pacifist. 

The charm offensive directed at Palestinians by the incumbent and former US presidents is merely a strategic maneuver intended to obscure Israel’s atrocities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.