The US has halted a shipment of bombs to Israel over concerns that Israel is nearing a decision to launch a broad military offensive on the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, which US President Joe Biden is opposing, a senior official said. government official.
The delivery would include 1,800 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said late Tuesday.
The official added that the government is concerned about the damage the larger bombs could inflict on densely populated urban areas such as Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The official said the US has not yet made a final decision on how to proceed with the shipment.
