Biden: "We withheld arms to Israel because we oppose the operation"

Senior American officials claimed today (Wednesday) that the US delayed arms shipments to Israel in order to signal opposition to the operation in Rafah, Walla journalist Barak Ravid reported.

According to the report, the arms shipment that the Biden administration decided to suspend included 1,800 one-ton bombs for fighter jets and 1,700 250 kg bombs for fighter jets. This comes amid concern in Washington about an invasion of Rafah that could exacerbate the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The Biden administration wanted to understand what Israel's plans are for treating the population and how the mode of operation will be different from the fighting in the rest of the Strip.

Last night, the spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, John Kirby, said that Israel informed the US that the operation is "limited and designed to cut off Hamas' ability to smuggle weapons and funds into Gaza."