The United States is set to authorize a portion of a weapons shipment to Israel that had been previously withheld due to concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza, as confirmed by a U.S. official on Thursday. The decision includes sending 1,700 500-pound bombs that were held back initially as they were part of a shipment that also included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, which will not be sent to Israel.
President Biden had paused the shipment earlier to prevent the use of U.S.-made weapons in Israel’s operations in Rafah, Gaza. This move marked the first instance of Mr. Biden using his authority to restrict arms sales to influence Israel’s actions during the conflict.
The decision to withhold the 2,000-pound bombs stems from concerns about potential civilian casualties in Gaza, following a New York Times investigation that linked these bombs to significant harm to Palestinian civilians during the conflict.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, alluded to the U.S. decision regarding the bombs during a meeting with Brett McGurk, the top White House official for Middle East affairs. The statement from Mr. Gallant’s office mentioned that some critical munitions would be delivered to Israel in the coming days.
During the initial phase of the conflict, the majority of munitions dropped by Israel in Gaza were satellite-guided bombs ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, with the smaller 250-pound small-diameter bombs making up the remainder. Analysts point out that even smaller bombs can cause significant harm in areas with limited protection, such as tent camps.
The 250-pound GBU-39, manufactured in the U.S., has emerged as a preferred weapon for the Israeli military, notably used in a strike on a tent camp in Rafah that resulted in multiple fatalities, as reported by Gazan health authorities.
