Netanyahu blames Israeli deaths on Biden policy

The prime minister has suggested that troops were killed in part due to ammunition shortages caused by a US arms “embargo”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested that a partial American arms “embargo” under former US President Joe Biden contributed to soldiers’ deaths during the war with Hamas. The remarks sparked angry pushback from Biden-era officials, who accused Netanyahu of ingratitude.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel paid “very heavy prices” after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, and argued that beyond the normal toll of combat “at a certain stage we didn’t have enough ammunition.” 

Without mentioning Biden by name, he said “heroes fell” because they lacked what they needed and that “part of that absent ammunition was because of the embargo.”

In this vein, Netanyahu said the experience reinforced his push to build a stronger domestic defense industry to ensure “maximal independence” so Israel does not “run out of weapons or ammunition.”

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Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to Biden, rejected the barb, telling Axios that Netanyahu was “both not telling the truth and ungrateful to a president that literally saved Israel at its most vulnerable moment.”

He in particular pointed to more than $20 billion in US military assistance as well as other support measures, saying the only appropriate response was “thank you.”

While Biden provided strong support for Israel early after the surprise Hamas attack, in 2024 he halted some weapons shipments – particularly large aerial bombs – over concerns they would be used to pummel civilians in Gaza. At the time, Biden also acknowledged that Israel’s use of American-made weapons led to civilian casualties.

Biden also publicly described Netanyahu’s approach to the Gaza war as “a mistake,” called for a ceasefire, and said there was “no excuse” for failing to allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu shrugged off the criticism, saying Biden’s approach was “hurting Israel.”

By contrast, Netanyahu has enjoyed far warmer relations with US President Donald Trump, once who called himself Israel’s “greatest friend,” though even this relationship has not been without friction. Trump in particular criticized Netanyahu for a September airstrike targeting Hamas officials in Qatar, which is a key US ally in the Middle East.