The US has stopped a shipment of bombs to Israel because it does not stop the offensive in Rafah

The United States suspended the delivery of a shipment of bombs last week after Israel did not respond to Washington’s “concerns” regarding the offensive announced in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, a senior American official said on Tuesday, reports AFP, taken by Agerpres.

“We suspended the delivery of a shipment of weapons last week. It consisted of 1,800 2,000-pound (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound (226 kg) bombs,” this senior administration official of President Joe Biden said on condition of anonymity.

“We have not made a final decision on how we will proceed with this shipment,” he added.

The decision was taken as Washington opposes a large-scale offensive in Rafah, which is now being prepared by Israeli troops.

Washington has made it clear that it will not sustain an offensive without a credible plan to protect the civilians who have taken refuge in Rafah. Joe Biden reiterated his “clear position” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

Israeli and American officials have discussed alternatives, but “those discussions are ongoing and have not fully addressed our concerns,” the official was quoted as saying.

“As Israeli leaders appeared to be moving closer to a decision on such an operation, we began to carefully examine proposals for the transfer of certain weapons to Israel that could be used at Rafah. This started in April”, explained this senior official.

He added that Washington was particularly concerned about the use of bombs heavier than 225 kilograms and “the impact they could have in congested urban environments as we have seen in other parts of Gaza.”

The US State Department is also looking into other arms transfers, including the use of precision bombs known as JDAMs, the US official added.

The Israeli army sent tanks to Rafah on Tuesday, took control of the border crossing with Egypt and closed the two main access points for humanitarian aid – Rafah and Kerem Shalom – a measure deemed “unacceptable” by the US.

Publisher: AC

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