financetom
Business
financetom
/
Business
/
US paused shipment of weapons to Israel to head off Rafah invasion-official
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
US paused shipment of weapons to Israel to head off Rafah invasion-official
May 7, 2024 8:15 PM

WASHINGTON, May 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's

administration paused a shipment of weapons to Israel last week

in opposition to apparent moves by the Israelis to invade the

southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official

said on Tuesday.

Biden has been trying to head off a full-scale assault by

the Israelis against Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of

Palestinian have sought refuge from combat elsewhere in Gaza.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that

as Israelis leaders seemed to approach a decision on a Rafah

incursion, "we began to carefully review proposed transfers of

particular weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah"

beginning in April.

"As a result of that review, we have paused one shipment of

weapons last week. It consists of 1,800 2,000-lb bombs and 1,700

500-lb bombs," the official said.

"We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb

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.

Four sources said the shipments, which have been delayed for

at least two weeks, involved Boeing ( BA )-made Joint Direct Attack

Munitions, which convert dumb bombs into precision-guided ones,

as well as Small Diameter Bombs.

The delay comes at a time when Washington is publicly

pressuring Israel to postpone its planned offensive in Rafah

until after it has taken steps to avert civilian casualties.

The White House and Pentagon declined comment.

Israeli forces on Tuesday seized the main border crossing

between Gaza and Egypt in Rafah, cutting off a vital route for

aid into the tiny enclave.

Without addressing whether there had been a holdup in arms

shipments, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

reaffirmed that Washington's commitment to Israel's security was

"ironclad."

Still, when asked about the reports on the arms holdsups,

she added: "Two things could be true, in the sense of having

those conversations, tough, direct conversations with our

counterparts in Israel ... in making sure citizens lives are

protected ... and getting that commitment."

The Pentagon said on Monday that there had not been a policy

decision to withhold arms from Israel, America's closest Middle

East ally.

Still, the delays appeared to be the first since Biden's

administration offered its full support to Israel following

Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which killed about 1,200 people with about

250 others abducted, of whom 133 are believed to remain in

captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's campaign to destroy Hamas has led to a

seven-month-long military campaign that has killed a total of

34,789 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the Gaza Health

Ministry said.

The conflict has also left many of Gaza's 2.3 million people

on the brink of starvation and sparked protests in the U.S.

demanding that universities and Biden withdraw support for

Israel - including the provision of weaponry.

A senior Israeli official, speaking to Reuters on condition

of anonymity, did not confirm any specific hold-up in arms

supplies but appeared to take the reports in stride: "As the

prime minister has already said, if we have to fight with our

fingernails, then we'll do what we have to do."

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Form 8.3 - American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc
Form 8.3 - American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc
Sep 24, 2025
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--   FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”) 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: Qube Research & Technologies Limited (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of...
Form 8.3 - Bakkavor Group PLC
Form 8.3 - Bakkavor Group PLC
Sep 24, 2025
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--   FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”) 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: Qube Research & Technologies Limited (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of...
Form 8.3 - Deliveroo PLC
Form 8.3 - Deliveroo PLC
Sep 24, 2025
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--   FORM 8.3 PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the “Code”) 1. KEY INFORMATION (a) Full name of discloser: Qube Research & Technologies Limited (b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions disclosed, if different from 1(a): The naming of...
European Natural Gas Prices Decline as Flows from Norway Return Following Maintenance Work, Commerzbank Says
European Natural Gas Prices Decline as Flows from Norway Return Following Maintenance Work, Commerzbank Says
Sep 24, 2025
05:56 AM EDT, 09/24/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The Title Transfer Facility natural gas price in Europe has fallen in recent days to 32 euros per megawatt-hour, likely due to Norway exporting more gas to the EU via pipeline again after a significant reduction in supply, Commerzbank said in a Tuesday note. Maintenance work had cut supply for about three weeks,...
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved