The US has temporarily suspended the delivery of bombs to Israel due to fears that the major ground operation in Rafah will continue. This was stated by a high-ranking official of the White House administration, quoted by the BBC.
The latest suspended shipment consists of 1,800 907 kg bombs and 1,700 smaller bombs.
The senior official said Israel had not fully heeded US concerns about the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah.
The US position is that Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are hiding and have nowhere else to go, the White House administration spokesman said.
We have been in dialogue with Israel in the form of our Strategic Advisory Group on how they will meet the humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah and how to operate differently against Hamas there than elsewhere in Gaza, he stressed.
These discussions are ongoing and have not fully addressed our concerns.
As Israeli leaders appeared to be nearing the point of deciding on such an operation, we began to carefully review proposed transfers of certain weapons to Israel that might be used in Rafah, he added.
The senior White House administration official noted that no decision has yet been made on how or whether to proceed with the delivery of bombs and weapons to Israel.
Hours after Israeli forces took control of the Rafah border crossing, airstrikes over the Gaza Strip continued. The Israeli bombardment is particularly intense around Rafah.
Rafah is a key entry point for the delivery of aid and the only exit for people who want to flee the war between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli army has ordered tens of thousands of civilians to begin evacuating from the near-eastern parts of the city of Rafah before launching an operation to eliminate Hamas fighters in the region.
Meanwhile, efforts to achieve a ceasefire continue, along with the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. In Cairo, delegations from Israel and Hamas are to resume negotiations through mediators.
Nearly 35,000 people, most of them civilians, have died since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
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