An undisclosed White House source has revealed the reason behind the United States halting of the shipment of bombs to Israel. The US was expected to ship military weapons to Israel last week for the continuation of its ground operation in Rafah.
But the US President Joe Biden asked the shipment of the weapons be halted out of concern.
According to report, the consignment consisted of 1,800 2,000lb (907kg) bombs and 1,700 500lb bombs.
The White House officials said the pause was based on the unresolved issues of the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah, southern Gaza. The official stated that this is in spite of President Biden and US unwavering support to Israel.
He maintained that Israel has not “fully addressed” the US concerns on the plight of the people of Rafah, according to BBC.
Vanguard reported on Tuesday that Israel has sent tanks to Rafah. This is in readiness to begin a major ground operation and to seize some key areas in the area. This is even as Hamas accepts ceasefire deals brokered in Egypt.
Recall that there were further Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight. “This came hours after Israeli forces backed by tanks took control of the key Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.
“The Israeli bombardment has been particularly intense around Rafah. This is even as local medics alleged that seven members of one family were killed in one overnight strike.
“Rafah has been a key entry point for aid and the only exit for people able to flee the war torn zone. Recall that Israel and Hamas have been at since October 7, 2023.
“On Monday, the Israeli military ordered tens of thousands of civilians to begin evacuating nearby eastern parts of Rafah city. This is ahead of what it called a “limited” operation to eliminate Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in Cairo, Egypt, delegations from Israel and Hamas are due to resume negotiations for ceasefire through mediators.
Recall that the US position has been that Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah. This is because of the civilian population in the area. It is estimated that more than a million people are sheltering at Rafah with nowhere else to go.
According to the US official, “We have been engaging in a dialogue with Israel in our Strategic Consultative Group format. The dialogue is on how they will meet the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah. And how to operate differently against Hamas there than they have elsewhere in Gaza.
“Those discussions are ongoing and have not fully addressed our concerns. As Israeli leaders seemed to approach a decision point on such an operation, we began to carefully review proposed transfers. The particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah. This began in April.
“As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000lb bombs and 1,700 500lb bombs. We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs. And the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment.”
The unnamed official also added, “For certain, other cases at the State Department, including JDAM [Joint Direct Attack Munition] kits, we are continuing the review. None of these cases involve imminent transfers – they are about future transfers.”
The White House source stressed that the shipments were unrelated to last month’s landmark $17 billion military aid package. He stated that the shipment had been drawn from “previously appropriated funds.”.
source: Vanguard
