President Biden has repeatedly warned Israel against a Rafah offensive, and now the USA is apparently increasing the pressure: According to consistent media reports, an arms delivery to Israel has been on hold for days – including hundreds of bombs.
In order to increase pressure on Israel in view of the threatened Israeli offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza, the USA apparently suspended arms deliveries to Israel last week. This is reported by several media outlets, citing both US and Israeli government circles.
The Axios portal first reported on the US government’s move. It quotes an Israeli insider as saying that the Israeli government was concerned about the decision. The American newspaper Politico later wrote, referring to US government employees, that this was intended to send a political message to Israel.
The deliveries that have been stopped for the time being include kits for small-diameter unguided bombs manufactured by the aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Other planned sales to Israel were also blocked.
Delivery apparently includes thousands of bombs
The news agencies AFP and AP go into further detail, citing a high-ranking US government official: The deliveries should have included 1,800 907-kilogram bombs and 1,700 226-kilogram bombs. The government representative said that a final decision had not yet been made on how to proceed with this and whether this might be done at a later date.
According to the government official, the decision was made in view of the announced Israeli military operation in Rafah, which the US rejects. The US’s main concerns were how the bombs could be used in a densely populated urban environment.
Representatives from Israel and the USA have discussed alternatives, the insider said. However, these discussions were still ongoing and did not fully address the “concerns” of the United States.
US concerns about planned Rafah offensive
The US government under President Joe Biden has repeatedly warned that an offensive in the border town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip would not be supported by the US without a credible plan to protect the hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city.
Israel sent tanks into the city of Rafah on Tuesday and took control of the border crossing with Egypt. The White House had previously said Israel had assured it would be a “limited operation.”
In Rafah, more than a million people have sought refuge from fighting between Israel’s army and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. The Israeli government is sticking to its plans for a ground offensive in Rafah despite massive international criticism. She describes the city in the south of the Gaza Strip as the last remaining stronghold of Hamas.