US suspends arms deliveries to Israel over concerns over Rafah offensive: reports | Israel's War on Gaza News

US President Joe Biden's administration suspended an arms shipment to Israel last week in opposition to apparent attempts by its forces to invade the southern Gaza town of Rafah, a senior official said. administration.

Biden tried to ward off a large-scale attack by the Israelis on Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from fighting elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

The AFP, Reuters and Associated Press news agencies on Tuesday cited unnamed US officials as saying that Washington had begun carefully reviewing proposals for specific weapons transfers to Israel that could be used in Rafah in April, when it appeared that 'Israel was about to make a decision on the matter. assault.

As a result of this review, we suspended a weapons shipment last week. It consists of 1,800 books of 2,000 [907kg] bombs and 1,700,500 pounds [227kg] bombs, an official reportedly said.

We are particularly focused on the end use of the 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban areas, as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final decision on how to proceed with this shipment, the official said. News agencies said he spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.

Reuters reported that four sources said the shipments, which were delayed by at least two weeks, involved Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), which place precision guidance systems on the bombs, as well as small diameter bombs.

Citing unnamed officials, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the United States had delayed the shipment of some 6,500 JDAMs.

The delay comes at a time when Washington is publicly pressuring Israel to postpone its planned Rafah offensive until it has taken steps to avoid civilian casualties.

The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the shipment delays.

Withholding arms from Israel

Biden had a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and emphasized U.S. opposition to a ground offensive in Rafah, according to the White House.

But in the early hours of Tuesday, just hours after Hamas, the group that rules Gaza, said it had accepted a ceasefire proposal presented by international mediators, Israeli forces took control of the Gaza border crossing. Rafah.

Without specifying whether there had been a blockage of arms deliveries, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed that Washington's commitment to Israel's security was ironclad.

Yet, when asked about reports of arms delays, she added: Two things could be true, in the sense of having these conversations, tough, direct conversations with our counterparts in Israel to ensure that citizens' lives are protected and obtain this commitment.

The Pentagon said Monday there had been no policy decision to take weapons away from Israel, the United States' closest ally in the Middle East.

The Rafah crossing is crucial for aid and provides an escape route for those who may flee to Egypt. Some 1.4 million Palestinians, including more than 600,000 children, are sheltering in the southern city, and the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and international aid organizations have warned that an attack would be catastrophic .

Israel's war on Gaza has left many of Gaza's 2.3 million residents on the brink of starvation and led to protests in the United States and other countries demanding that universities and the Biden administration withdraw their support for Israel, including the supply of weapons.

A drop in the ocean

A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not confirm any specific blockages in arms deliveries, but appeared to ignore them: As the prime minister has already said, if we are to beat with our nails, then oh well. do what we need to do.

However, observers suggest the pause in deliveries is a significant move by the White House, which has shown growing impatience with Netanyahu as it seeks to persuade him to curb the Israeli military advance in Gaza and ensure that more aid reaches the Palestinians.

The United States has repeatedly reiterated its opposition to a major attack on Rafah, and Amir Oren, a journalist with the Haaretz newspaper, suggested to Al Jazeera that the move was an act of deterrence.

Biden needed to show Netanyahu he was serious, Oren said.

Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from Amman, Jordan, following the closure of Al Jazeera in Israel, noted that there has been no official response from the Israeli government.

However, the security establishment would be concerned, he noted, that this is a U.S. tactic aimed at increasing pressure on the Israeli government to end to a full invasion of Rafah and accepts the terms of a ceasefire.

Israeli officials would worry, he added, that this is a harbinger of things to come if Israel does not start adhering more to what the United States wants.

However, he also noted that suspending a delivery represents only a very small percentage of the total volume of weapons that Washington has supplied to Israel. This is just a drop in the ocean, Jamjoom said.

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