In the second half of 2024, Washington cut off a live video feed from a US drone over Gaza which was being used by Tel Aviv in its hunt for hostages and Hamas fighters. The suspension lasted for at least a few days, five of the sources told Reuters news agency.
The US also restricted how Israel could use certain intelligence in its pursuit of high-value military targets in Gaza, said two of the sources, who declined to specify when this decision was taken.
All of the sources spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. intelligence.
The decision came as worries intensified in the US intelligence community about the number of civilians killed in Israel’s military operations in the besieged enclave. Officials were also concerned that Shin Bet was mistreating Palestinian prisoners, the sources added.
Officials were concerned that Israel had not provided sufficient assurances that it would abide by the law of war when using American information, according to three of the sources.
Under US law, intelligence agencies must receive such assurances before sharing information with a foreign party.
While the Biden administration maintained a policy of continuous support of Israel with both intelligence and weapons sharing, the decision inside the intelligence agencies to withhold information was limited and tactical, said two of the sources. The officials sought to ensure that Israel was using American intelligence in accordance with the law of war, added the sources.
One person familiar with the matter stated that intelligence officials have latitude to make some intelligence-sharing decisions in real time without an order from the White House. Another person familiar with the matter noted any requests by Israel to change how it uses US intelligence required new assurances about how it would use the information.
The intelligence sharing resumed after Israel provided assurances that it would follow US rules.
The Biden administration’s concerns about Israel’s actions in Gaza have been widely reported, but less is known about how the US intelligence community handled relations with its Israeli counterparts.
Following the October 7 attack, Biden signed a memorandum directing his national security agencies to expand intelligence sharing with Israel, said two of the sources.
In the days that followed, the US established a team of intelligence officials and analysts led by the Pentagon and Central Intelligence Agency that flew MQ-9 Reaper drones over Gaza and provided a live feed to Israel to help locate Hamas fighters, according to three of the people familiar with the matter. The drone feed also helped with hostage recovery bids.
Toward the end of 2024, however, American intelligence officials received information that raised questions about Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners, stated four of the sources.
Rights groups have reported grave abuses of Palestinians in Israeli detention during the war.
In the final weeks of the administration – months after the intelligence was shut off and restored – senior national security officials met at the White House for a National Security Council meeting, chaired by President Biden, according to two people familiar with the matter.
At the meeting, intelligence officials proposed that the US more formally cut off some intelligence that had been provided to Israel following the October 7 attack.
The intelligence sharing partnership was set to expire and intelligence officials stated that their concerns had deepened that Israel had committed war crimes in Gaza, said the two sources. Just weeks earlier, the US gathered intelligence that Israel’s military lawyers warned there was evidence that could support war crimes charges against Israel for its military campaign in the coastal enclave.
Biden chose not to cut off the intelligence, however, stating the Donald Trump administration would likely renew the partnership and that the administration’s lawyers had determined Israel had not violated international law, according to the two sources.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities.
