The Biden administration will resume shipments of 500-pound bombs to Israel, which were initially part of a package of weapons withheld due to concerns about their use in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been accused of using heavy munitions in densely populated areas, according to a US official.
The 500-pound bombs were not retained due to concerns about their use in densely populated areas, but were suspended because they were part of a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that worried the White House, the official said.
A 2,000-pound bomb shipment is still held up.
President Biden first announced he was holding a shipment of large payload bombs in May, before Israel moved into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, citing concerns about Israel bombing targets indiscriminately and killing civilians .
Since then, Israel has invaded Rafah and battled the Palestinian militant group Hamas across the city, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee to a crowded refuge on the shores of Gaza that aid groups say is still not safe.
The official said concerns remain over the ultimate use of the 2,000-pound bombs, particularly in relation to the Rafah campaign, which Israel has indicated is winding down as Israeli forces seek a lower-intensity conflict with Hamas.
Biden’s decision regarding the 500-pound bomb shipments comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month accused the US of withholding arms transfers, sparking a public dispute. The White House said it contained only the bomb shipment and that everything else was moving forward.
The news also comes as Israeli forces continue to fight in Gaza, where more than 38,000 people have died since the war began on October 7, leading to international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct of the war, including from Biden. , which pledged to defend Israel but also raised concerns about the impact of the war on Palestinian civilians.
Israel on Wednesday announced Evacuation orders for certain areas of Gaza City, where forces are still fighting Hamas militants in retaliation for the October 7 attack on southern Israel, during which around 1,200 people were killed. Hamas also kidnapped around 250 hostages, of which 120 are still in Gaza, an uncertain number alive.
Hospitals in Gaza City are moving quickly to cease operations following evacuation orders, as they often did during the war for fear of Israeli attacks. Israel attacked several hospitals during the war, alleging that Hamas uses the facilities as military bases, but evidence supporting these claims was not considered sufficient.
The United Nations he said It was “horrified” that civilians were forced to evacuate multiple times and still remain unsafe in Gaza due to Israeli attacks, but the Israel Defense Forces said it was trying to minimize civilian deaths in combat zones.
Dialogue for a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is underway in Qatar, with hopes remaining high for the first time in months that a deal can be reached, but fighting in Gaza City threatens to undo progress after the Hamas warned that the attacks were harming negotiations.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
