ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet today that there had been a dramatic drop in United States weapons deliveries for Israel’s war on Palestinians in Gaza.

His claim came a day after Israeli forces were reported to have killed at least 39 people in northern Gaza and Israel was rocked by massive anti-government protests.

Mr Netanyahu’s report to his cabinet follows a claim he made last week when he issued a video claiming a US delivery shortfall. This was met with denial and confusion from White House officials. 

National security spokesman John Kirby said the US was perplexed by Mr Netanyahu’s claims and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “We generally do not know what he's talking about.”

Today Mr Netanyahu told his ultra right-wing cabinet that the drop had occurred four months ago but did not specify which weapons, saying only that “certain items arrived sporadically, but the munitions at large remained behind.”

Mr Netanyahu told the cabinet he was driven to release a video in English last week after weeks of unsuccessful pleas with US officials to speed up deliveries, but he said a resolution appeared close.

The row highlights how high tensions have surged between Israel and Washington over the war on Palestinians in Gaza. 

According to hospital officials and emergency workers, Israeli air strikes killed at least 39 Palestinians in northern Gaza on Saturday.

Fadel Naem, director of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, said that more than three dozen bodies arrived at the hospital. 

The Palestinian Civil Defence, an emergency group active in Gaza, said its emergency workers were digging for survivors at the site of a strike in the Shati refugee camp west of Gaza City.

Israel said on Saturday that its fighter jets struck two Hamas military sites in Gaza City.

The deaths come after at least 25 people were killed in strikes on tent camps near the southern city of Rafah on Friday. 

In Tel Aviv on Saturday tens of thousands of Israelis filled the streets in the largest anti-government protest since the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7.

The protesters are demanding a ceasefire deal that would see the return  of some 120 hostages still held by Hamas after its attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed.

Gaza health authorities say Israel’s devastating offensive has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians.