Washington

The United States has halted the delivery of bombs to Israel due to concerns that it was planning to launch a full-scale attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. 

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According to a senior US official, the shipment included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs.

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, on Tuesday (May 7) stated that the US was mainly concerned about the larger explosives and how they could potentially be used in a densely populated urban area.

Also read: Israeli strike in Gaza city kills 7, several reported wounded

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Over one million civilians are currently sheltering in Rafah after being forced to evacuate other parts of Gaza due to Israel's conflict with Hamas.

The US has historically provided huge amounts of military aid for Israel. That has only accelerated in the aftermath of Hamas' Oct 7 attack that killed some 1,200 in Israel and led to about 250 being taken captive by the militants. 

Israel-Hams war

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The pausing of the aid shipment is the most striking sign of the growing daylight between Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and the White House.

Biden administration in April began to review future transfers of military assistance as Netanyahu’s government appeared to move closer to an invasion of Rafah, despite months of opposition from the White House. 

The official said the decision to pause the shipment was made last week and no final decision had been made yet on whether to proceed with the shipment at a later date.

Also read | Humanitarian aid flow impacted as Israeli forces take control of Gaza side of Rafah crossing

Israel secures Rafah crossing

On Tuesday, Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza, which the White House characterised as a limited operation that avoided the large-scale invasion of the city that President Biden had warned against on humanitarian grounds during his recent call with Netanyahu.

Israel has instructed 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate Rafah, while its troops conducted targeted strikes in the city's eastern areas and secured the Rafah crossing, a crucial route for humanitarian aid along the Gaza-Egypt border.

Watch: Gallant says Operations to continue until end of Hamas or hostages return

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It is worth mentioning that last month, Congress passed a $95 billion security bill that included funding for Ukraine, Israel and other allies. The package included more than $14 billion in military aid for Israel.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration's report on whether Israel has breached US and international humanitarian law during the Gaza war has been postponed and will not be released on Wednesday (May 8), according to three Senate aides and one House aide, as reported by POLITICO.

(With inputs from agencies)