On May 7, 2024, in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas Movement, displaced Palestinians arrived in Khan Younis with their belongings after leaving Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip due to the evacuation order of the Israeli army. majdi Fathi/Nur pho/AP CNN【div】【/div】& mdash； According to an American official, the United States suspended the delivery of bombs to Israel for fear that the bombs might be used in the Rafah attack. The goods detained last week included 1,800 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds and 1,700 bombs weighing 500 pounds.
"We pay special attention to the end use of 2,000-pound bombs and their possible impact in dense urban environments, as we have seen in other parts of Gaza," the official said.
CNN reported over the weekend that a batch of ammunition destined for Israel was suspended, but the reason is still unclear.
For weeks, Israeli leaders have been warning that they will invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah at some point in the future, although the United States and other countries have publicly stated that such ground operations should not be carried out. Biden's government has called for a comprehensive plan to protect more than one million civilians who have taken refuge in Rafah, and to avoid the expansion of the ongoing humanitarian disaster in the coastal enclave.
On Monday, Israel carried out what the United States called a "limited" operation in Rafah, taking over the border crossing with Egypt, which is an important lifeline of humanitarian assistance.
The State Council spokesman Matt Miller said on Tuesday: "This seems to be a limited action, but of course, it depends a lot on what happens next." "They said, I think very clearly that it is no secret that they want to conduct a major military operation there. We have made it clear that we are opposed to such actions. "
On May 5, 2024, in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, Palestinians inspected the scene of Israeli attacks on houses during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Reuters/Alkhatim Khaled. Hatem Khaled/ Reuters related live reports that the Israeli military occupied the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing. The United States and Israel have been communicating regularly on the plans of the Israeli military for major ground operations in southern Gaza, but the government has always made it clear that these plans are far from ready.
Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said at a news conference on Monday: "We have seen some concepts, but there are no details yet."
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that it is necessary to carry out ground operations in Rafah to keep the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages and win. The American official said that as the Israeli leadership approached the final decision, the United States began to review the proposal to transfer specific weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah. The review process began in April, which led to the suspension of the transportation of two kinds of bombs.
The official said: "We haven't made a final decision on how to proceed with this shipment.
Among the largest conventional weapons in the US arsenal, 2,000-pound bombs can have a devastating impact, especially in densely populated areas like Gaza. These heavy ammunition will leave a huge crater and may send deadly shrapnel hundreds of feet away from the impact point. CNN analyzed satellite images in the early days of the war and found more than 500 impact craters consistent with the use of a ton of bombs.
On November 1, 2023, after the second bombing by the Israeli army in Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, a man sat on the ruins and responded when the Palestinians conducted a search and rescue operation. Mark Garlasco, a former US defense intelligence analyst and former UN war crimes investigator, said in December last year that the density of Israeli bombing in Gaza in the first month was "unprecedented since the Vietnam War". The official said that the United States is still examining the possibility of selling or transferring other ammunition to Israel, including Joint Direct Attack Ammunition (JDAM) kits. But the official added that these transfers will not happen soon, but will happen in the future.
When asked about the suspension of shipments, the Pentagon declined to comment, but insisted that none of this would change the United States' commitment to Israel's national defense.
Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary of the Pentagon, said at a briefing on Tuesday: "Our commitment to Israel's security remains unwavering." "You have seen this since October 7th. You have seen the United States send more security aid to Israel. Therefore, although I will not comment further, I can tell you that our commitment to Israel's security remains unchanged. "