The US recently halted a shipment of bombs to Israel due to concerns about a significant ground operation being planned in Rafah, located in southern Gaza, as reported by a high-ranking official in the US administration.
According to the information given to CBS News, which collaborates with BBC in the US, the shipment was supposed to include 1,800 bombs each weighing 2,000 pounds (about 907 kg) and 1,700 bombs each weighing 500 pounds. The official pointed out that Israel has not adequately addressed the humanitarian needs of the civilians in Rafah.
No response was immediately available from Israel. However, there were additional Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight, following the Israeli forces, supported by tanks, taking control of the crucial Rafah crossing on the Egypt border.
The bombing near Rafah has been particularly severe. According to local medical staff, an overnight strike resulted in the deaths of seven family members.
Since the onset of the conflict between Israel and Hamas last October, Rafah has served as an essential gateway for aid and the sole exit route for people able to escape.
On Monday, the Israeli military instructed tens of thousands of civilians to start evacuating the eastern parts of Rafah city, in anticipation of what it described as a “limited” operation to eliminate Hamas fighters and dismantle their infrastructure.
In the meantime, attempts to reach a ceasefire continue, alongside discussions for the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Negotiations between delegations from Israel and Hamas are set to resume in Cairo through mediators. The US official stated, “The US stance is that Israel should avoid launching a major ground operation in Rafah, where over a million people are taking refuge with no other place to go.”
The official added, “We are actively engaging with Israel in our Strategic Consultative Group to discuss how Israel can meet the humanitarian needs of the civilians in Rafah and how their operations against Hamas in this region can be different from those in other parts of Gaza. These discussions are ongoing and have yet to fully address our concerns. As it seemed Israeli leaders were nearing a decision on this operation, we began a detailed review of proposed weapon transfers to Israel that might be used in Rafah. This review started in April.”
“As a result of this review, we paused a weapon shipment last week. It included 1,800 2,000lb bombs and 1,700 500lb bombs. We are particularly concerned about the use of the 2,000-lb bombs in densely populated areas, as witnessed in other parts of Gaza. We have not yet decided how to proceed with this shipment.”
The official also noted that, although the paused shipments are separate from the recent $17bn military aid package, they were funded by previously allocated monies.
Israel initiated a military operation in Gaza to eliminate Hamas after the group’s cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities and over 250 hostages. Since then, the conflict has claimed over 34,780 lives in Gaza, as per the Hamas-controlled health ministry there. A deal in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of about 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. According to Israel, 128 hostages are still missing, with 34 presumed deceased.
