The US has paused a shipment of weapons to Israel in opposition to apparent moves by Israel to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
US President Joe Biden has been trying to head off a full-scale assault by the Israelis against Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge from combat elsewhere in Gaza.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that as Israeli leaders seemed to approach a decision on a Rafah incursion, we began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah beginning in April.
As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, the official said.
We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.
Four sources said the shipment, which have been delayed for at least two weeks, involved Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which convert dumb bombs into precision-guided ones, as well as Small Diameter Bombs.
The delay comes at a time when Washington is publicly pressuring Israel to postpone its planned offensive in Rafah until after it has taken steps to avert civilian casualties.
Israeli forces on Tuesday seized the main border crossing between Gaza and Egypt in Rafah, cutting off a vital route for aid into the tiny enclave.
Without addressing whether there had been a hold-up in arms shipments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reaffirmed that Washington’s commitment to Israel’s security was ironclad.
The conflict has also left many of Gaza’s 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation and sparked protests in the US demanding that universities and Biden withdraw support for Israel — including the provision of weaponry.
A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not confirm any specific hold-up in arms supplies but appeared to take the reports in stride: As the prime minister has already said, if we have to fight with our fingernails, then we’ll do what we have to do.
