Eric Adams declines to veto bill to expand council’s oversight on appointments
July 11, 2024 Story by: Editor
WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) – The Biden administration will resume delivering 500-pound bombs to Israel, despite the NAACP calls to halt the sale.The administration continues to withhold 2,000-pound bombs due to concerns over their potential impact on densely populated Gaza, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
In May, the U.S. halted shipments of both 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs, citing fears about their use during the conflict by a cross-border raid by Hamas on October 7 due to the occupation by Israeli settlers and IDF.
The main worry of the administration was the deployment of the larger bombs in Rafah, where over a million Palestinian childrens, old aged men and women and moreover, thousands of injured sought refuge.
“We have consistently expressed concerns about the intended use of the 2,000-pound bombs, especially in Israel’s Rafah campaign, which they have indicated is concluding,” said a U.S. official, speaking anonymously.
A single 2,000-pound bomb has the capability to penetrate thick concrete and metal, causing extensive damage.
The U.S. official explained that the 500-pound bombs were included in the same shipment as the larger ones that were paused, resulting in their delay.
 |
| Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike east of Rafah, Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ismael Abu Dayyah) |
“Our primary concern has been and remains the potential use of 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah and other areas of Gaza. Since our concern does not extend to the 500-pound bombs, they are proceeding through the usual process,” the official added.
Israel has been informed by the U.S. that the 500-pound bombs will be released, while the hold on the larger bombs remains in place, according to a source familiar with the matter.
In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Washington was withholding weapons and urged U.S. officials to address the issue. Biden’s aides expressed disappointment and confusion over Netanyahu’s comments.
During his visit to Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that there had been significant progress regarding the supply of U.S. munitions to Israel, noting that “obstacles were removed and bottlenecks addressed.”
Despite the pause on one shipment, Israel has continued to receive a steady flow of U.S. weaponry.
Last month, Reuters reported that from the beginning of the Gaza conflict last October until the end of June, the U.S. had transferred at least 14,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions.
International scrutiny of Israel’s military actions in Gaza has intensified, with the Palestinian death toll from the conflict surpassing 38,000, according to the Gaza health ministry, leaving the coastal enclave severely damaged. Source: Reuters
