military humanitarian assignment

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Air Force Program Allows Humanitarian Assignments in Time of Need

An Air Force reassignment program might be able to help airmen whose families are experiencing a long distance crises. If they qualify, those troops can use the program for an extra military move or to stay at their current location.

The Humanitarian Reassignment and Deferment Program, run by the Air Force Personnel Center, assists active-duty airmen in resolving severe, short-term problems involving a family member while airmen continue to meet the needs of the Air Force.

"The spirit and intent of the program is to place the airman at the closest location to where the problem exists," said Kimberly Schuler, Humanitarian Assignment Policy chief. "Typically, a reassignment or deferment is a one-time action to resolve a critical problem with a family member within a reasonable period of time, normally 12 months."

The definition of "family member" for the Humanitarian Program is limited to spouse ; child; parents, to include in-laws and stepparents; person in loco parentis; or other persons actually residing in the household who are dependent on the airman for more than half of their financial support.

"We often get asked about siblings," Schuler said. "That's always a tough one because siblings aren't within the scope of the definition of 'family member.' However, if the sibling is terminally ill, we'll look at the request as an exception to policy."

In a case that requires a long-term solution, an airman would have to look at other options, she said.

"The Humanitarian Program is a temporary solution to a short-term problem and the Air Force is unable to consider a permanent or prolonged deferment."

The comptroller general has ruled that the Air Force cannot make moves at government expense based solely on humanitarian reasons. The reassignment or deferment must be to meet Air Force mission needs in addition to helping the airman. Therefore, a valid vacancy must exist at the gaining base and the airman must meet retainability requirements for a permanent change of station .

Schuler's team in AFPC's Military Assignment Programs Branch, along with a team of six case managers in the Assignment Support Section and 11 Total Force Service Center Assignment technicians processes approximately 1,000 requests annually to expedite assistance to airmen in need.

Humanitarian reassignment or deferment is not limited to a single reason. Circumstances can include the terminal illness of a family member, the death of an airman's spouse or child, the sexual assault of the airman's spouse or child, or issues involving a serious financial impact such as the loss of property through fire or natural disaster.

"The reason doesn't have to fit into a box," Schuler said.

In each situation, the AFPC Medical Review Board or the AFPC Administrative Law Office reviews requests for verification of clinical data submitted with an application or for the verification of legal documentation. Careful consideration goes into the adjudication of each request, as these airmen are normally in a crisis and deserve the most compassionate eyes possible on their situation.

"It's not just personnelists making the decision," Schuler said. "It's a whole system of checks and balances. The entire team looks at the whole-person concept. We look at each situation as if we were in that airman's shoes and view the circumstances with empathy and kindness."

Missing documentation can delay the process, which is normally about two to four weeks. Schuler said the more supporting documentation the airman can provide about every aspect of the situation, the better, as it paints a clearer picture of the scope of the problem. Burden of proof is on the member to prove that their situation is more than what an average airman is going through.

"Everyone has a tipping point, so we weigh everything--everything--happening in that airman's life to determine the best course of action," she said.

Currently, 2,916 airmen are directly benefiting from humanitarian assignments at bases across the Air Force. However, if the airman's application does not meet the threshold for an approval under the Humanitarian Program, the case managers take the extra step to research if the airman may be eligible for another alternative assignment option.

"Perhaps the airman can apply for a Base of Preference or a follow-on assignment," Schuler said. "Or maybe they don't meet the requirements right now, but if something changes, they can reapply. We try to manage their expectations and provide resources instead of just simply saying, 'Denied.'"

Schuler's team is also working on improvements to the application process to make it more intuitive. Two efficiencies they would like to implement include a "delivery" status bar, visible to customers in the virtual Military Personnel Flight, and a defined set of statuses with detailed explanations of the application process.

To help airmen navigate those resources, Schuler's team hosts recurring webcasts on the Humanitarian Reassignment and Deferment Program. The next webinar for all airman is scheduled for Sept. 27, 2017 at 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

Additionally, airmen can chat with a personnel specialist live on myPers about the humanitarian program between the hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. To access the chat feature, click on the Humanitarian/EFMP link under "Assignment Programs" on the active-duty myPers Assignment landing page, hover the mouse cursor for 30 seconds and a chat window will appear.

For more information about Air Force personnel programs, visit myPers . Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following the instructions on the Air Force's Personnel Center website.

Military.com contributed to this article.

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Humanitarian assignments considered for Airmen in time of need

Photo By Kat Bailey | No single reason exists why a humanitarian reassignment or deferment might be... ... read more read more

Photo By Kat Bailey | No single reason exists why a humanitarian reassignment or deferment might be approved. It might be a terminal illness, death of a spouse or sexual assault of the Airman's child. The Air Force’s Personnel Center views each request with compassion and empathy, giving it careful consideration. (U.S. Air Force graphic by Kat Bailey)   see less | View Image Page

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, TX, UNITED STATES

Story by kat bailey  , air force's personnel center.

Today’s American Airmen do the impossible every day. They pursue their mission with excellence and integrity to become leaders and warriors, providing help to a world in need. However, even Airmen need help at times, especially if an acute problem occurs with a family member. The Humanitarian Reassignment and Deferment Program, run by the Air Force Personnel Center, assists active-duty Airmen in resolving severe, short-term problems involving a family member while Airmen continue to meet the needs of the Air Force. “The spirit and intent of the program is to place the Airman at the closest location to where the problem exists,” said Kimberly Schuler, Chief, Humanitarian Assignment Policy. “Typically, a reassignment or deferment is a one-time action to resolve a critical problem with a family member within a reasonable period of time, normally 12 months.” The definition of “family member” for the Humanitarian Program is limited to spouse; child; parents, to include in-laws and stepparents; person in loco parentis; or other persons actually residing in the household who are dependent on the Airman for more than half of their financial support. “We often get asked about siblings,” Schuler said. “That’s always a tough one because siblings aren’t within the scope of the definition of ‘family member.’ However, if the sibling is terminally ill, we’ll look at the request as an exception to policy.” In a case that requires a long-term solution, an Airman would have to look at other options, she said. “The Humanitarian Program is a temporary solution to a short-term problem and the Air Force is unable to consider a permanent or prolonged deferment.” The Comptroller General has ruled that the Air Force cannot make moves at government expense based solely on humanitarian reasons. The reassignment or deferment must be to meet Air Force mission needs in addition to helping the Airman. Therefore, a valid vacancy must exist at the gaining base and the Airman must meet retainability requirements for a permanent change of station. Schuler’s team in AFPC’s Military Assignment Programs Branch, along with a team of six case managers in the Assignment Support Section and 11 Total Force Service Center Assignment Technicians processes approximately 1,000 requests annually to expedite assistance to Airmen in need. Humanitarian reassignment or deferment is not limited to a single reason. Circumstances can include the terminal illness of a family member, the death of an Airman’s spouse or child, the sexual assault of the Airman’s spouse or child, or issues involving a serious financial impact such as the loss of property through fire or natural disaster. “The reason doesn’t have to fit into a box,” Schuler said. In each situation, the AFPC Medical Review Board or the AFPC Administrative Law Office reviews requests for verification of clinical data submitted with an application or for the verification of legal documentation. Careful consideration goes into the adjudication of each request, as these Airmen are normally in a crisis and deserve the most compassionate eyes possible on their situation. “It’s not just personnelists making the decision,” Schuler said. “It’s a whole system of checks and balances. The entire team looks at the whole-person concept. We look at each situation as if we were in that Airman’s shoes and view the circumstances with empathy and kindness.” Missing documentation can delay the process, which is normally about two to four weeks. Schuler said the more supporting documentation the Airman can provide about every aspect of the situation, the better, as it paints a clearer picture of the scope of the problem. Burden of proof is on the member to prove that their situation is more than what an average Airman is going through. “Everyone has a tipping point, so we weigh everything—everything—happening in that Airman’s life to determine the best course of action,” she said. Currently, 2,916 Airmen are directly benefiting from humanitarian assignments at bases across the Air Force. However, if the Airman’s application does not meet the threshold for an approval under the Humanitarian Program, the case managers take the extra step to research if the Airman may be eligible for another alternative assignment option. “Perhaps the Airman can apply for a Base of Preference or a follow-on assignment,” Schuler said. “Or maybe they don’t meet the requirements right now, but if something changes, they can reapply. We try to manage their expectations and provide resources instead of just simply saying, ‘Denied.’” Schuler’s team is also working on improvements to the application process to make it more intuitive. Two efficiencies they would like to implement include a “delivery” status bar, visible to customers in the virtual Military Personnel Flight, and a defined set of statuses with detailed explanations of the application process. To help Airmen navigate those resources, Schuler’s team hosts recurring webcasts on the Humanitarian Reassignment and Deferment Program. The next webinar (https://conference.apps.mil/webconf/Humanitarian) for all Airman is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Additionally, Airmen can chat with a personnel specialist live on myPers (https://mypers.af.mil/) about the humanitarian program between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CDT. To access the chat feature, click on the Humanitarian/EFMP link under “Assignment Programs” on the active-duty myPers Assignment landing page, hover the mouse cursor for 30 seconds and a chat window will appear. For more information about Air Force personnel programs, visit myPers (https://mypers.af.mil/). Individuals who do not have a myPers account can request one by following these instructions (http://www.afpc.af.mil/myPers). – 30 –

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This work, Humanitarian assignments considered for Airmen in time of need , by Kat Bailey , identified by DVIDS , must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright .

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Military Humanitarian or Compassionate Assignments

Requesting Assignments for Extreme Family Circumstances

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Exceptional Family Member Program

Humanitarian reassignments.

• Army Compassionate Requests

Examples of Approved Requests

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It's an unfortunate truth that sometimes during a military career, a member may experience a severe family hardship which requires their presence to resolve, with circumstances which make resolving it with  emergency leave  impractical.

To help military members in such situations, each of the services has developed a program that allows military members to be re-assigned, or temporarily deferred from an assignment if they have a severe family hardship which requires their presence to resolve. The Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard call this program Humanitarian Assignments. The Army calls their program Compassionate Assignments.

While not a component of Humanitarian/Compassionate Assignments, the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) warrants special mention. EFMP was developed to make sure military family members (dependents) with special needs—medical, psychological, or educational—receive the special attention they require. A small part of this program is integrated into the military assignments system.

When a military member has dependents (spouse, children, stepchildren, and other close family relations) with special needs, they are enrolled in EFMP. The dependent can have conditions such as asthma, attention deficit disorder (ADD), need inpatient care for more than six months, and many other difficulties.

If the member is selected for an accompanied assignment, one of the first things that happen is the EFMP folks at the losing base contact the EFMP folks at the projected gaining base to determine if the dependent's special needs can be adequately addressed at the new location. If not, the assignment is canceled. It ensures that military dependents are not forced to move to locations where their special needs cannot be adequately addressed, either by the military installation or in the local community.

EFMP does not restrict a member from doing their share of unaccompanied assignments, however, so they can still deploy. The program merely makes sure that members aren't selected for an accompanied assignment to areas where their dependents would not get the special attention they require.

A Humanitarian Assignment is a special assignment authorized to alleviate a hardship so severe an emergency leave cannot fully resolve it. While each of the services has different procedures, there are some requirements that are common to all the branches.

To qualify for a Humanitarian Assignment consideration, a military member must have a documented and substantiated problem involving a family member, which is significantly more severe than other military member's situation. "Family Member" is generally defined as spouse, child, father, mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, a person in loco parentis or other persons residing in the household who are dependent for over half of their financial support. In the Coast Guard, father-in-law, and mother-in-law do not qualify as family members for Humanitarian Assignments.

The problem must be able to be resolved within a specific time-frame (six months to two years, depending on the branch of service). Military members are expected to be available for worldwide assignment, at all times, according to the needs of the service. That's a large part of why they get a paycheck. For those who have a permanent or prolonged family problem that prevents reassignment, humanitarian discharge is generally the appropriate action.

The Comptroller General has ruled that the military services cannot fund an assignment relocation for humanitarian reasons only. That means there must be a valid slot at the gaining base for the person's rank and job. For example, the Air Force would not be able to reassign an F-15 Fighter Aircraft Mechanic to a base that does not have slots for F-15 Fighter Aircraft Mechanics. However, sometimes a service will allow a member to re-train into a different job, to fill a required slot at the Humanitarian Assignment Location.

Army Compassionate Action Requests

The Army calls their Humanitarian Assignment Program, "Compassionate Action Requests". Compassionate Actions are requests from individual soldiers when personal problems exist. The two types of compassionate requests are when personal problems are:

• Temporary (resolvable within a year)
• Not expected to be resolved within a year

Reassignment may be authorized when there are extreme family problems, and the soldier's presence is needed. A soldier may get a deletion or deferment from an overseas assignment if the problem requires them to stay in the U.S. for a short time.

If the problem is chronic or can't be resolved in a short amount of time, a compassionate discharge procedure is generally the most appropriate action. Consideration for reassignment may be given in cases of extreme family problems that are not expected to be resolved within a year if it meets the needs of the Army .

Requests are made on DA Form 3739, Application for Assignment - Deletion - Deferment for Extreme Family Problems submitted through the chain of command. It must be done by the soldier. Commanders can disapprove of Compassionate Requests when they do not meet the prerequisites. The Army Personnel Command has approval authority for a Compassionate Reassignment. 

• The soldier needs to be present to resolve the problem, and it can't be done with leave.
• The problem cannot have been foreseen when the soldier last entered active duty.
• A family member includes spouse, child, parent, minor brother or sister, a person in loco parentis, or the only living blood relative of the soldier. If not one of those people, they must be documented as a dependent or, in the case of parents-in-law, no other member of the spouse's family can help.
• For reassignment, a job (MOS) of the correct rank must be available at the requested installation.
• A pending assignment may be deferred until the request is decided. However, soldiers in basic training will not be deferred from AIT pending the results.
• The problem must be temporary and resolvable within one year, although longer deferments are sometimes approved.
• Death, rape, or a severe psychotic episode of your spouse or minor child
• Terminal illness of an immediate family member whose doctor documents they are expected to pass within 12 months
• Major surgery for a spouse or minor child which will have 12 months or less of recovery time
• If you were separated from your family due to military service (not negligence or misconduct) and your children are being placed in foster care
• Adoption if the child is being placed within 90 days and the adoption was initiated before notification of reassignment
• Soldiers en route from an accompanied OCONUS tour to an unaccompanied OCONUS tour may be deferred for up to 30 days. The deferment is for settlement of family when the soldier's presence is required for unforeseen problems
• The recent death of other family members with extenuating circumstances
• The desire to move to a new area
• Divorce or separation and legal actions relating to it, including child custody
• Gaining child custody in a divorce
• Sole parenthood
• Spouse's difficult pregnancy
• Family member's allergies
• Housing problems
• Financial problems
• Chronic problems relating to parents or parents-in-law

If a Compassionate Action Request is disapproved, a soldier may only request reconsideration for the same family emergency one time. If that is disapproved, there will be no further reconsideration.

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THE HUMAN MISSION

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RESPONDING TO EVERY CALL

The U.S. Air Force has provided humanitarian aid since the Berlin Airlift in 1948.

The call to serve can come from anywhere, and in the case of humanitarian emergencies like natural disasters and health crises, the U.S. Air Force is prepared to answer. In addition to defending our country and its allies against threats, providing humanitarian aid is an ongoing task. We respond to humanitarian crises around the world, whether we airdrop food and medical supplies to those in need, rescue others from natural disasters or prevent the spread of disease.

The NPC is a 40-ft shipping container designed to transport COVID-19 patients

The npc uses negative air pressure to continuously pull outside air in through high-efficiency filters to prevent contamination, the npc can be fitted to fly in a c-5 galaxy or a c-17, while a smaller version can be used on a c-130 hercules, stopping the spread.

When a threat has the potential to spread across the world, the U.S. Air Force knows how to respond. During the Ebola outbreak of 2014, engineers developed the Transportation Isolation System (TIS) to safely transport and care for infected patients while keeping aircrew and others safe from contamination.

The innovation spurred by the Ebola outbreak proved useful against the global health threat of COVID-19. Building on the technology of the TIS, Airmen developed the Negatively Pressurized Conex (NPC). While the TIS can transport four passengers at a time, the NPC can transport up to 28 infected people, making it a more efficient solution amid a fierce and unpredictable pandemic. It was developed in record time, evolving from a drawing on the back of a napkin to an operational container in 88 days.

NO CALL IS TOO FAR

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FLYING OVER FLAMES

NATURAL DISASTER TO NUCLEAR THREAT

DELIVERING CARGO TO THOSE IN NEED

OPTIMIZING RESCUE WITH INTELLIGENCE

OPERATION CHRISTMAS DROP

TAKING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

EXPLOSION PROMPTS JOINT EFFORT

THAI CAVE RESCUE

After a Thai soccer team became trapped in an underwater cave, two Special Warfare Airmen joined a multinational team to help. Trained to perform rescues in extreme environments like jungles, mountains and underwater, these Airmen were equipped to provide expert aid. 

Together with Thai Navy SEALs, the Special Warfare Airmen mapped out the cave system and assembled a dive team to rescue the trapped players using a rope system and oxygen tanks. Thanks to the teamwork and ingenuity of the rescue team, the entire soccer team and coach made it out safely.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

When wildfires grow too fierce to be contained by local firefighters, the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units join the fight. With C-130s equipped with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS), these crews can deliver 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in five seconds. And because their mission requires them to fly on the edge of fire and smoke with poor visibility, these pilots are some of the most experienced out there.

During just one summer month of California wildfires, crews flew a total of 156 missions, totaling over 194 hours of flight, and dropped 394,666 gallons of retardant.

OPERATION TOMODACHI

After a magnitude 9.0 earthquake resulted in a tsunami that devastated Japan, the U.S. Air Force provided relief as part of Operation Tomodachi, which means “friend” in Japanese.

In addition to search-and-rescue efforts made by Special Warfare Airmen, the Air Force deployed a U-2 and RQ-4 Global Hawk to assess damage incurred by a nuclear plant. A 36-member Air Force Radiation Assessment Team (AFRAT) determined contamination levels and conducted radiation reconnaissance that included monitoring the health conditions of over 700 military personnel.

In the first two weeks of Operation Tomodachi, the USAF had flown 225 missions and transported 4.2 million pounds of cargo and approximately 2,800 people.

GOODWILL MISSION

Not all humanitarian missions concern crises and natural disasters. The Air Force regularly delivers medical supplies and food as part of the Denton Program, a Department of Defense program that delivers humanitarian supplies donated by U.S.-based Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to countries struggling with food insecurity, ongoing health needs and other difficulties. In addition to ensuring these supplies are delivered effectively and safely, this program also gives aircrews valuable training for future missions.

The large loading capacity of Air Force aircraft makes delivering cargo of all sizes possible. As part of a mission to Honduras, aircrews delivered over 11,000 pounds of mobility healthcare supplies, including wheelchairs and walkers. In another mission to Guatemala, Airmen delivered even larger cargo: a fire truck and an ambulance.

“This is the most rewarding part of our jobs…to have the opportunity like this where we get to help out those who need it.” —SSgt J.R. King, 21st Airlift Squadron Loadmaster

HURRICANE HARVEY

To optimize their search-and-rescue efforts, Special Warfare Airmen used the Android Tactical Assault Kit system, or ATAK. Together with intelligence analysts, these Airmen adapted the technology—which is normally used to track forces during missions—to screen smartphone communication and determine the location of people in distress and in need of life-saving assistance.

The intelligence team also utilized live traffic cameras and monitored the Texas Department of Travel website for flooded and damaged roads to provide Special Warfare Airmen with the best transportation routes.

 “Since we’re such a small team with a specialized skill set, we find the people who are most in need and look for people who need specialized rescue.” —TSgt Brian Davis, 123rd STS Intelligence Analyst

“It’s like the Nile formed in neighborhoods throughout the Houston area; we’re talking four to six feet of standing water stranding people who can’t swim, families with children and drivers who are unaware of the depth of water on the roads,” —Maj Aaron Zamora, 123rd STS Director of Operations.

Every year during Christmas, C-130 crews stationed in Guam and Japan deliver medical supplies, food, clothing and toys to 55 Micronesian islands. A tradition started over 69 years ago, Operation Christmas Drop is the world’s longest-running airdrop training mission.

In addition to providing critical supplies, this mission has created strong bonds across wildly different cultures. Each year, communities spanning 1.8 million nautical miles across the Pacific come together to receive and distribute the supplies.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE

Combat Controllers are trained to set up airfield operations in remote and often hostile environments. When a magnitude 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, Special Warfare Airmen successfully set up an airport using only a card table and radios. Within 20 minutes, they began directing aircraft so humanitarian needs could be met.

These Airmen communicated with pilots from multiple humanitarian organizations and countries and coordinated with unfamiliar aircraft to successfully land 150 flights a day.

DELIVERING AID TO BEIRUT

Just two days after a deadly ammonium nitrate explosion erupted in the port of Beirut, U.S. Airmen and soldiers stationed in Qatar worked together to deliver lifesaving supplies. Both assembled pallets with thousands of pounds of food, water and medical supplies. Once the pallets were ready, they were loaded onto a C-17 and delivered to Beirut.

“In the wake of tragedy, it truly takes a combined effort to make the mission happen. We do this every day in Qatar, and that’s exactly what we are doing in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces.” —Brig Gen Daniel Tulley, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander

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Middle East crisis — explained

The conflict between Israel and Palestinians — and other groups in the Middle East — goes back decades. These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them.

U.S. report says it's 'reasonable to assess' that Israel has violated humanitarian law

Jeongyoon Han

Smoke rises over southern Gaza Strip after an Israeli airstrike on May 7. Amir Levy/Getty Images hide caption

Smoke rises over southern Gaza Strip after an Israeli airstrike on May 7.

A U.S. State Department report said Friday it was "reasonable to assess" that Israel has violated international humanitarian law while carrying out military operations in Gaza. But the report stopped short of drawing any final or sweeping conclusions about Israeli conduct in the war against Hamas.

The Biden administration voluntarily undertook this review of Israel and six other countries receiving U.S. weapons. While the administration is facing criticism at home and abroad, this report does not require it to take any specific actions.

The report reflects an administration that's become increasingly critical of Israel and frustrated with the way it's handling the war, though President Biden insists he still supports Israel and its aim of defeating Hamas in Gaza.

The report looked at two key questions: whether Israel has violated international law while using U.S. weapons, and whether Israel is restricting humanitarian aid.

On the first question, the report said: "It is reasonable to assess that [U.S.] defense articles ... have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its [International Humanitarian Law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm."

The State Department findings cited multiple examples where large numbers of Palestinian civilians were killed in Israeli airstrikes. The reports said these instances raised serious concerns, but the U.S. did not have enough evidence to reach definitive conclusions.

More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, adding that about two-thirds were women and children. Israel, meanwhile, has said it has killed more than 13,000 Hamas fighters in Gaza.

On the question of humanitarian aid for Gaza, the report stated that Israel initially did not cooperate with the U.S. and international aid groups to let in humanitarian aid and thus "contributed significantly" to the lack of aid to the Palestinian people.

But that has changed over time, the report added.

"We do not currently assess that the Israeli government is prohibiting or otherwise restricting the transport or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance," it said.

However, aid groups say that incoming assistance has all but halted this week after Israeli troops took over the Rafah border crossing along Gaza's southern frontier with Egypt.

The Biden administration announced this week that the U.S. was withholding a weapons shipment to Israel consisting of more than 3,000 large bombs. And in an interview this week, Biden suggested he could pause the delivery of additional weapons as well.

The U.S. has been sending large quantities of weapons to Israel for decades, and ramped up deliveries after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that ignited the war.

The withholding of a single shipment of weapons is unlikely to have any impact on Israeli operations in Gaza, though it signals the administration's sense that Israel should take a different approach.

Red lines and Rafah

Biden and other top U.S. officials say they support Israel's goal of defeating Hamas in Rafah, its last stronghold, where it is believed to have several thousand fighters.

But the U.S. does not want to see a full-fledged assault on the city, similar to elsewhere in Gaza, which led to so many civilian casualties.

The U.S. says it has been demanding, but has not seen, a credible Israeli plan to move civilians out of harm's way in Rafah. The city had around 200,000 residents before the war began, but now has more than 1 million, many living in tent camps.

The Biden administration issued a national security memorandum in February which mandated the report on Israel and six other countries receiving weapons from the U.S., after congressional Democrats pushed Biden to determine whether Israel is violating domestic and international law in its war with Hamas.

The report and the memorandum from February does not have the legal teeth that would require the U.S. to stop arms transfers even if a country violates international law or has a more likely than not chance of doing so.

Biden and the Congress have the option to take further action. But Sarah Harrison, a senior analyst specializing in U.S. foreign policy at the International Crisis Group, said she doesn't expect that to happen.

The report, she said, "could make it harder for him to defend the unconditional assistance approach," Harrison said. But she emphasized the report does not require a change in his policy. "It's up to the president. It's still discretionary."

Meanwhile, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained repeatedly that he will not bow to pressure from anywhere, including the White House.

The report presents further questions as to how Biden will navigate his tense relationship with Netanyahu. But Harrison said little has actually changed in Biden's policy, particularly on Rafah.

"He's threatening to change it, but not actually changing it," she said. "There are operations ongoing in Rafah, so it's not even clear what his red line is."

Israel orders new evacuations in Rafah as it prepares to expand operations in Gaza's southernmost city

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military issued an “urgent warning” to evacuate parts of Rafah on Saturday, signaling an expansion of its military campaign despite warnings from the United States about attacking Gaza’s southernmost city where more than 1 million Palestinians are sheltering.

The Israel Defense Forces published a map showing that sectors of the city were now considered a “dangerous combat zone” and warned civilians that it would “act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in your area of ​​residence.”

“Everyone in these areas is risking their lives and the lives of their family members,” it said. “For your safety — we ask you to evacuate immediately to the humanitarian zone.”

Israel has already sent some tanks into Rafah, and has said for months that it will launch a full-scale ground assault on the city. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of his government have insisted it is necessary to ensure the destruction of Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel that saw some 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage, according to Israel.

That would defy pressure from the U.S and others who have warned that such an attack threatened devastating consequences for the Palestinians who have fled there from the rest of the enclave.

Facing rising anger domestically, President Joe Biden has become increasingly critical of Israel's conduct in the war, in which around 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to health officials in the enclave.

On Friday, the Biden administration said it was “reasonable to assess” that Israel has violated international law in Gaza using weapons provided by the United States, but that it hasn’t violated terms of U.S. weapons agreements.

Senior administration officials  previously told NBC News  that the U.S. halted a large shipment of offensive weapons to Israel last week over fears that they would be used to invade Rafah. Biden later said that the U.S.  would not provide  Israel with certain weapons and artillery shells if it launches a ground offensive on the city.

Along with representatives from Qatar and Egypt, American officials, including CIA Director William Burns, have been eading attempts to broker a cease-fire in the conflict. But the latest efforts looked dashed after Israeli and Hamas mediators left Cairo this week having failed to reach a deal. Hamas — a banned terrorist group in most of the West — said negotiations were back to square one.

Meanwhile, United Nations experts demanded Thursday that “Israel must halt this assault,” which it called in a news release “a culmination of a seven-month long campaign to forcibly transfer and destroy Gaza’s population.”

Israel has taken control of the Rafah Border Crossing, Gaza’s main entry and exit point into Egypt. The U.N. said that this had resulted in “further cutting off life-saving humanitarian aid, supplies and fuel needed to run Gaza’s remaining hospitals and water desalination plants.”

Doctors Without Borders also warned that “critical supplies including fuel are running low,” which it said would “have critical consequences on our operations.”

Hamas, the militant group that controlled Gaza before Israel’s latest assault, also criticized the move. In a statement Saturday it urged Israel to “stop its aggression, withdraw from the crossing, reopen it and facilitate the arrival of emergency relief and medical supplies to our besieged people.”

Israel's order Saturday applied to areas in central Rafah, more populated areas than the places Israel ordered to be evacuated at the start of the week.

In addition, the IDF has also urged people in Jabalia, a city in the north of Gaza, to “temporarily evacuate to shelters in western Gaza City.”

It said “this is in order to reduce harm to the civilian population and to move civilians away from the combat zone, in accordance with international law.”

Israel’s evacuation warning came amid heavy clashes on the outskirts of the city between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants leaving the crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible. More than 110,000 people have already fled north from the city.

The IDF has advised Palestinians to move to Al-Mawasi , a nearby coastal area where Israel has promised an “expanded humanitarian area” would await them.

However the concept of these "safe zones" has been widely questioned. An NBC News investigation found last month that Palestinians were killed in areas of southern Gaza that the Israeli military had explicitly designated as such.

The U.N. on Thursday said that Al Mawasi, where the Israeli military has instructed evacuees to go, “is already without sufficient food, water, medicine, hygiene products, electricity, shelter and access to education for children; it cannot cope with a population influx.”

Richard Engel reported from Jerusalem and Alexander Smith from London.

NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent, Host of MSNBC's "On Assignment with Richard Engel"

Alexander Smith is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital based in London.