The United States stops a shipment of bombs to Israel

USA stopped a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over fears that the Jewish state was nearing a decision to launch a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against Washington’s wishes, a senior administration official said. .

The shipment was supposed to consist of 1,800 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombsaccording to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

What worries the United States most What are the largest explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban environment. More than a million civilians are taking shelter in Rafah after evacuating other parts of Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas, which came after the militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7.

Historically, the United States has provided huge amounts of military aid to Israel. That has only accelerated following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and led to about 250 being captured by militants.

The pause in sending aid is the most striking manifestation of the growing disagreement between the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the administration of President Joe Biden, which has called on Israel to do much more to protect the lives of innocent civilians in Gaza.

It also comes as the Biden administration is due to issue a formal verdict, the first of its kind, this week on whether airstrikes in Gaza and restrictions on aid deliveries have violated international laws and Americans designed to prevent civilians from suffering the worst horrors of war. A decision against Israel would further increase pressure on Biden to stop the flow of weapons and money to the army of Israel.

In April, the Biden administration began reviewing future transfers of military assistance as Netanyahu’s government appeared to move closer to an invasion of Rafah, despite months of opposition from the White House. The official said the decision to suspend shipping was made last week and a final decision had not yet been made on whether to continue shipping at a later date.

U.S. officials had declined for days to comment on the halted transfer, news of which came as Biden on Tuesday described U.S. support for Israel as “strong, even when we disagree.”

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to square the arms stop with Biden’s rhetoric in support of Israel, saying only: “Both things could be true.”

Israeli troops on Tuesday took control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing in what the White House described as a limited operation which stopped short of the full Israeli invasion of the city that Biden has repeatedly warned against on humanitarian grounds, most recently in a statement on Monday.

Israel has ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from the city. Israeli forces also carried out what they describe as “selective attacks” in the eastern part of Rafah and captured the Erez crossing, a critical conduit for the flow of humanitarian aid along the Gaza-Egypt border.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a news conference that the United States had provided “unprecedented” security assistance since the start of the war, adding that disputes between the allies were resolved “behind closed doors in a practical manner.”

“We are responsible for the security interests of the State of Israel and we are attentive to the interests of the United States in the region,” he said.

During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday There were more Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Striphours after Israeli forces backed by tanks took control of the Palestinian side of the key Rafah crossing.

The Israeli bombing It was particularly intense around Rafah. Local doctors said seven members of one family died in a single attack.

Rafah has been a key entry point for aid and the only way out for people who were able to flee since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas last October.

That Wednesday it was still closed.

With information from AP and BBC News