US Pauses Bomb Shipment to Israel Amid Concerns Over Rafah Assault
The US halted the delivery of 1,800 2,000-pound and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel due to concerns that Israel was planning to launch a large-scale attack on the densely populated city of Rafah in Gaza, against US wishes.
Over a million civilians have sought shelter in Rafah after evacuating other areas during Israel's ongoing war on Hamas, following Hamas' deadly attack on Israel.
US officials are worried about the potential use of the larger bombs in urban areas.
In April 2021, the Biden administration put on hold the transfer of military assistance to Israel due to Prime Minister Netanyahu's government's potential plans for an invasion of Rafah.
The decision was made last week, and a final decision on whether to resume the shipment at a later date has not been made.
The review did not involve the transfer of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which are currently under separate consideration by the State Department.