The White House suspended an arms shipment to Israel last week as Israeli leaders moved closer to deciding whether to launch an operation in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, a senior official said Tuesday. ‘administration.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed in testimony before Congress on Wednesday that “we have suspended a shipment of high payload munitions.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced on Tuesday launch of “targeted strikes”“against Hamas in Rafahwhich Israel called the last bastion of Hamas, after the Israeli war cabinet approved a military operation in the city.
The United States has long argued that Israel should not launch such a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million people have sought refuge after fleeing other parts of Gaza. But U.S. concerns in discussions with Israel about responding to humanitarian needs in Rafah and how to approach Hamas were not adequately addressed, the senior administration official said. When Israeli leaders appeared close to a decision on Rafah, the Biden administration began reviewing upcoming transfers of weapons that could be used at Rafah and, as a result, suspended a shipment last week, the official said .
That stranded shipment contains 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, the former of which the Biden administration is of particular concern and could cause serious damage in urban areas, the official said. The senior administration official said the United States has not yet decided how to proceed regarding this particular shipment.
News of the pause on weapons comes after days of the administration downplaying the possibility of a shipment delay.
Israeli tanks on Tuesday took control on the Gaza side of the Rafah border, near Egypt, as the Israeli operation continues. This means that Gaza’s two main aid corridors are closed.
The senior administration official said the suspended shipment had nothing to do with the funding Israel Congress passed last month.
Israel has long threatened a ground attack on Rafah and has confirmed the start of Operation Rafah. after Israel said a ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas is “far from meeting Israel’s basic demands.”
Ceasefire talks continue in the Middle East and CIA director Bill Burns is in Israel on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The U.S. decision to suspend arms shipments — and a senior administration official’s willingness to share the reasons for the pause — reflect the Biden administration’s growing concern about how whose actions by Israel harm Palestinian civilians.
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