The head of the Pentagon said the US had temporarily suspended military aid to Israel because of ‘the incident in Rafah’
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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last week the US had “temporarily paused a large-tonnage shipment of ammunition” to Israel due to concerns about upcoming ground operations in Rafah.
Washington has not decided the final fate of these weapons but is concerned about their possible use in the war Rafahhe said during a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
“We will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself,” Austin said. “But that said, we are currently looking at some short-term security assistance shipments in light of the ongoing events in Rafah.”
Israeli send infantry into Rafah on Monday night, seizing the main border crossing between Gaza and Egypt and threatening to expand operations.
The United States has repeatedly opposed Israel’s plans to launch a major military ground operation in the city, where more than 1 million civilians have taken refuge from fighting elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. Israeli said Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas.
“We were very clear about the steps we wanted to see Israel take to take care of those civilians before the big battle took place,” Austin said. “We certainly want no major battles to take place in Rafah but our focus is on ensuring the protection of civilians.”
The pause in arms deliveries marks the first time the US has delayed weapons transfers since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and the Jewish state launched its military operation. retaliatory attack against militant groups in Gaza.
The US made the decision to reject the shipment last week after discussions with Israel on how to meet the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah did not fully meet Washington’s concerns.
The Israeli military has tried to defuse any rift, with Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari telling a conference in Tel Aviv that the allies would resolve any disagreements “behind closed doors.” private”.
“We are responsible for Israel’s security interests and we pay attention to America’s interests in the arena,” he said at the event organized by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
In addition to the shipment suspended last week, the US State Department said Washington is also considering other future deliveries.
“We have paused one short-term assistance shipment and are reviewing others,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “We remain committed to defending Israel, but in light of the ongoing situation in Rafah, that’s where we have very serious concerns and that’s why we’re taking the actions that we’re taking. we made.”
A senior U.S. official said the process leading to the suspension of shipments began in April, with the Pentagon ultimately seizing 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.
The use of some of the most destructive US-supplied bombs in Israel’s arsenal has come under international scrutiny because their use in densely populated areas could lead to injury. Unforeseen civilian casualties. The U.S. military has used 2,000-pound bombs sparingly in recent military operations in the region.
“We are particularly focused on the end use of 2,000-pound bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban areas, like ours,” the senior US official said. seen in other areas of Gaza.” “We have not made a final decision on how to proceed with this shipment.”
The Biden administration has also informally delayed shipments of Joint Direct Attack Munitions kits and small diameter bombs, according to people familiar with the matter. These cases are still under review, the official said.
“For some other cases at the state department, including JDAM kits, we are continuing to review,” the official said. “None of these cases involve imminent transfers – they involve future transfers.”
There are no delays regarding the additional $14.1 billion in funding for Israel passed last monthsaid the senior official.
“We are committed to ensuring Israel receives every additional allocated dollar,” the official said, adding that the US just approved $827 million in weapons and equipment for Israel.
According to Israeli data, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he would eliminate Hamas after the group killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages during the invasion of southern Israel on October 7.
According to Palestinian health officials, Israel’s retaliatory attack on Gaza killed nearly 35,000 people.
