US Delays Arms Supply to Israel Amid Rafah Offensive

The United States is delaying arms supply to Israel, a sign of Washington's objection to Israel's offensive on the Rafah city in southern Gaza.

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The Biden administration is putting the sale of at least two arms shipments to Israel on hold, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

It cited a U.S. official as saying that the move was a "shot across the bow" to make it clear to the Israeli side that Washington is seriously concerned about an ill-planned ground operation in Rafah, which will lead to a dramatic increase of death toll and deteriorate the humanitarian disaster in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

"I've seen the press reporting on this," National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said Monday when asked to confirm the administration's decision, adding that all he could say was that U.S. "support for Israel's security remains ironclad."

"I'm not going to get into the specifics of one shipment over another," Kirby told a daily press briefing at the White House.

Rafah, located in the southern end of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt where 1.4 million Palestinian civilians are seeking refuge, has become a vital point for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza since Israel launched an offensive on Oct. 7, 2023.

In the past 24 hours, Israeli shelling killed 35 Palestinians in Rafah, where Israeli occupation forces began a new offensive on Monday. Palestinian authorities also reported that the Israeli attacks left 129 people injured.