US halts bomb shipment to Israel

WASHINGTON (AFP) –The United States paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over fears it would invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, an official said on Tuesday, marking the first time in the conflict that US President Joe Biden has squeezed military aid to the key US ally.

Washington halted the load of 907 kilos of bombs and another 226 kilos after Israel had not “fully addressed” US concerns about a major ground operation, a senior administration official said.

News of the move comes as the White House blasted the “unacceptable” closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt after Israel sent in tanks earlier Tuesday – while holding out hope for a ceasefire with Hamas.

The pausing of weapons marks the first time that Biden has acted on the warning that he gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April that US policy on Gaza would depend on how Israel treated civilians.

The US official said Biden’s administration made the decision on the weapons when it appeared Israel was on the verge of a major ground operation into Rafah, which Washington has strongly opposed as more than a million people are sheltering there.

Israeli and US officials had been discussing alternatives, but “those discussions are ongoing and have not fully addressed our concerns,” the senior US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“As Israeli leaders seemed to approach a decision point on such an operation, we began to carefully review proposed transfers of particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah. This began in April.”

The US official said Washington was “esfocused” on the use of the heaviest 2,000-pound 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 official said.

The US State Department is still reviewing other weapons transfers, including the use of precision bomb kits known as JDAMs, added the official.

The White House said earlier that Israel had promised the military thrust into Rafah earlier Tuesday was a “limited operation” and not the feared full-scale invasion.

Meanwhile, ceasefire talks involving Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt resumed on Tuesday.

“A close assessment of the two sides’ positions suggests that they should be able to close the remaining gaps, and we’re going to do everything we can to support that process,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.