The United States paused a bomb shipment to Israel last week to signal its concern over Israel approaching its plan to launch a full-scale invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, the Associated Press reported, citing a senior administration official. The shipment consisted of “1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs,” according to the official, who clarified that the primary concern of the US was the scope of the damage those bombs could cause in a dense urban environment as more than one million civilians are currently taking shelter in Rafah after fleeing other parts of the Gaza Strip. The official told the news agency that the decision to halt the shipment was made last week adding that no final date has been chosen for the shipment as of yet. The US is worried about the damage the large bombs could inflict on dense urban areas like Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering from Israel’s war with Hamas. Washington has not made a final decision on whether to proceed with the shipment, according to the official. Washington has stepped up its criticism of Israel in recent months, saying it’s not doing enough to protect civilians and allow aid into the besieged Palestinian territory, parts of which the United Nations says are on the verge of famine. At the same time, Biden’s said his support for Israel is ironclad and he’s defended its right to pursue a strategy of destroying Hamas, an Islamist group backed by Iran.
Biden’s decision, reported earlier by the Associated Press, marks one of the most significant moments of discord between Israel and its most important ally since Hamas’s Oct. 7 assault, which started the war. Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US, killed 1,200 people and abducted roughly 250 when its fighters stormed into southern Israel from Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive on the Mediterranean enclave have killed almost 35,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Biden told Netanyahu last month, following the killing of aid workers in an Israeli strike, that ongoing US support for its war would depend on new steps to protect civilians. Last month, the US signed a foreign-aid package that contained billions of dollars of fresh assistance for Israel. The paused bomb shipment was not connected to those funds, according to the administration official. Arms transfers that are under review were drawn from previously appropriated money and the White House is committed to ensuring Israel gets all the new national security aid, the official said. The US has urged Israel not to attack Rafah unless it can move out the civilians first. American officials have serious doubts that can be done quickly and safely. This week, Israel told residents in some parts of eastern Rafah to move out immediately in a possible prelude to an assault. It urged them to travel north to a “humanitarian area” near the Gazan city of Khan Younis, much of which has been destroyed. Israel’s said it’s working to ensure there will be enough tents, food and medicine for the civilians. For now, Israeli officials are saying it’s a limited operation and are downplaying the notion an full-on offensive of Rafah has begun.
The US is the biggest supplier of arms to Israel. It was the source of almost 70% of imports between 2014 and 2018, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Jordan Fabian
The prime minister’s office declined to comment and it’s unclear if this delay will have much impact on the military’s operations in Gaza. Still, it speaks to growing tensions between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The report has been confirmed by the US President Joe Biden’s administration, the Times of Israel said. NN: Iran supplies its cold bloodied murders all the weapons they want. And if they spill a lot of innocent they get the weapons for free.