May 8, 2024, 5:56 AM EDT / Updated May 8, 2024, 9:24 AM EDT
Written by Courtney Cube, Carol E. Lee, Andrea Mitchell, Raf Sanchez, Abigail Williams, Chantal da Silva
The United States last week halted large shipments of offensive weapons to Israel in a sign of growing concern about a possible military attack on Rafah, a senior administration official told NBC News.
The decision comes after President Joe Biden forced Israel and Hamas to agree to a compromise ceasefire agreement to avoid a major attack on the southern city of Gaza, where more than 1 million Palestinians have fled in dire conditions. It was carried out in the midst of calls for achieving this goal.
The Israeli military said Wednesday, under pressure from Washington, that it had reopened a key border crossing, a day after ground forces took control of the Gaza side of the separate border. The move had sparked concerns about aid coming into the enclave, but the United States announced it had resumed it. Officials said it was a limited operation and not the full-scale attack Biden had warned about.
The Israeli military appears to be downplaying the conflict, with a spokesman saying Wednesday that the two allies will resolve any differences “behind closed doors.”
But Israeli officials told NBC News that the Israeli government was deeply dissatisfied with the decision. The official added that he felt the US had allowed Israel to blindside after Hamas announced earlier this week that Israel would accept part of its ceasefire offer, adding that tensions were already high.
People and first responders carried rescued victims away from a building that was hit by Israeli shelling in Rafah on Tuesday. AFP – Getty Images
bomb is pending
The White House halted shipments of weapons last week over concerns they would be used in Rafah, a senior administration official said Tuesday night. The shipment contained 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, the official said.
The official said the Biden administration was “particularly focused” on Israel’s use of 2,000-pound bombs in the Gaza attack given the impact it would have on dense urban areas.
Israel already has large arsenals, and a suspension is unlikely to stop attacks.
The US began considering future military aid transfers to Israel in April as the government appeared to be closing in on Operation Rafah, despite calls from Biden and other world leaders and humanitarian officials. , officials said.
The official said no final decision has been made on whether to proceed with the delivery of weapons at a later date, and the State Department will approve future deliveries of weapons, including integrated direct attack munitions kits that will install precision guidance systems. He added that he is separately considering whether this is the case. into a bomb.
As negotiators gather in Egypt to try to reach a deal, Israel continues to bombard Rafah this week, and children watch the destruction. AFP via Getty Images
Pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu increases
U.S. officials stressed that the suspension does not signal a major shift in policy regarding arms deliveries to Israel, but it is an unusual move that signals increased friction between the United States and its allies over the war. It’s a measure.
CIA Director William Burns met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday during a visit to Cairo to discuss the latest ceasefire negotiations with local officials, Israeli officials said.
Hamas announced on Monday that it had accepted the terms of a proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel said it was “far from” meeting its demands. Another senior government official said negotiators were trying to resolve differences over a phased agreement, among other differences over a cease-fire that would ensure the release of the hostages.
“It’s positive that talks are continuing, but it’s too early to be optimistic,” the official said. “We need them to bridge their differences, but the differences are small.”
The decision to suspend arms deliveries last week, first reported by Axios, comes as the Biden administration misses a Wednesday deadline to submit a long-awaited report to Congress on whether Israel is using U.S. weapons in accordance with international law. It became clear that it was a prospect. Law.
Multiple administration officials told NBC News that the Biden administration may miss the deadline, and State Department spokesman Matt Miller told reporters Tuesday afternoon that delays were possible. Admitted.
“We are working hard to meet that deadline,” he said. “It could be off by just a little bit, but at this point we’re still trying to get it done by tomorrow.”
The report is required under a national security memo signed by Biden in February, which requires the secretary of state or defense to ensure that recipients of U.S. military aid involved in active conflicts comply with international law. It is mandatory to assess whether these weapons are being used.
Family members of the hostages and other protesters blocked Tel Aviv’s highways on Wednesday, intensifying their campaign to force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a deal. Oded Barilti / AP
If such countries are determined not to be acting in accordance with international law, the Biden administration will have 45 days to take appropriate next steps to “remediate the situation,” including halting further transfers of U.S. military aid. Can be recommended.
As of early Wednesday, there was no indication whether the report would be released.
Biden, who faces mounting criticism at home and abroad, has increasingly clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over military actions in Gaza and claims about an operation in Rafah that Israel says is necessary to eliminate Hamas. But aid groups fear it will have a devastating impact on civilians in southern Gaza.
“The US position is that Israel should not launch a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million people have been evacuated with nowhere else to go,” the official said. Explained the US decision to suspend arms shipments.
Israeli ground and air operations in eastern Rafah come after warning some 100,000 people to evacuate the area, which was considered a safe haven for Palestinians fleeing Israeli attacks elsewhere in the enclave. I was disappointed.
Biden had pushed for the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing, but the United Nations said the closure and seizure of the Rafah crossing had “suspended” aid to the enclave, reducing food, fuel and other supplies. .
Crowds of civilians lined the streets of Rafah on Tuesday as many people hurriedly evacuated parts of the city following an Israeli Defense Forces order. AFP – Getty Images
The Israel Defense Forces claims that the area near the Rafah checkpoint was used in a mortar attack that killed four Israeli soldiers near the Kerem Shalom border crossing last weekend, and the force said the Rafah checkpoint was It announced that it was acting based on information that it was being used for terrorist purposes. .
Israeli authorities said the Kerem Shalom crossing had reopened on Wednesday, but the Palestinian border control agency said it was still not accepting aid, and spokesman Hisham Adwan denied Israel’s claims.
UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma said no aid had arrived as of midday local time (5 a.m. ET), leaving the agency with no choice but to ration fuel.
The US also expects Israel to reopen the Rafah border, the official said.
But that intersection remained closed Wednesday, and the IDF said “ground forces continue conducting precision counterterrorism operations” in “certain areas east of Rafah” against Hamas.
More than 34,800 people have died in Gaza during the seven-month war, according to local health authorities. Israeli officials said Israel launched an offensive on the enclave following an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
Israeli officials say more than 130 hostages are being held in Gaza, and at least a quarter are believed to have died.
Raf Sanchez
Moshe Gaines, Monica Alba, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed.
