According to U.S. media reports, the Biden administration has decided to delay the delivery of arms to Israel. This action is seen as a clear message from Washington, expressing its objection to Israel’s offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The move aims to highlight the U.S.’s serious concerns regarding the potential consequences of an unplanned ground operation in Rafah, which could result in a significant rise in casualties and further worsen the already dire humanitarian situation 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 at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip and sharing a border with Egypt, has emerged as a crucial hub for delivering humanitarian assistance to the 1.4 million Palestinian civilians seeking shelter. This significance has been heightened after Israel initiated a retaliatory military operation against Hamas in response to their attack on October 7th.