U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel over Rafah concerns, official says
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Smoke billows from Israeli strikes on eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Photo: AFP via Getty Images
The weapons shipment to Israel that the Biden administration decided to put on hold last week included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, a senior U.S. official told Axios.
Why it matters: The unprecedented move by the Biden administration, which was first reported by Axios last Sunday, was a way for the U.S. to signal to Israel its concern over a possible ground operation in Rafah, the senior U.S. official said.
- More the one million displaced Palestinians have been sheltering in the southern Gaza city.
Flashback: Last Sunday, Axios reported that the Biden administration has put a hold on a shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel.
- The incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held, Israeli officials said.
Behind the scenes: In recent weeks, the U.S. engaged in dialogue with Israel about the issue of an operation in Rafah.
- The U.S. wanted to discuss with Israel how it will meet the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah, and how to operate differently against Hamas there than elsewhere in Gaza, the U.S. official said.
- The U.S. official added that as Israeli leaders seemed to approach a decision on an operation in Rafah, the White House began in April to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that could be used in Rafah.
- As a result of that review, the White House paused one shipment of weapons last week, the U.S. official said.
Zoom in: The U.S. official said the Biden administration is especially focused on the end use of the 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah because of the devastating impact they could have in dense urban settings, which was seen in other parts of Gaza.
- "We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment," the U.S. official said.
What they're saying: The U.S. official stressed that the U.S. is committed to ensuring Israel gets "every dollar" appropriated in the new supplemental funding package.
- "None of these shipments have anything to do with the Israel supplemental appropriations passed last month. All are drawn from previously appropriated funds, some many years ago," the U.S. official said.
What to watch: The U.S. official said there are several other weapons deals with Israel that the State Department is reviewing, including the supply of JDAM kits that turn "dumb bombs" into precision weapons.
- "None of these cases involve imminent transfers — they are about future transfers," the official said.
