Israeli officials report the Biden administration has placed a hold on shipment of U.S.-made ammunition to Israel.
This is the first time since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that the U.S. has halted shipment of weapons for the Israeli military, reports Axios.
The outlet, which broke the story based on comments from two Israeli officials, further reported that “the incident raised serious concerns inside the Israeli government and sent officials scrambling to understand why the shipment was held.”
Thus far, the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office have not responded to questions from Axios.
The outlet previously reported that the Biden administration is “deeply concerned” that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) will invade Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip where over one million Palestinians are sheltering.
However, an unnamed source familiar with the matter told CNN that the pause in shipment was not connected to concerns regarding the invasion of Rafah. The sources also noted that other shipments moving forward would be unaffected.
“The United States has surged billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel, led an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend itself from the threats it faces,” a National Security Counsil spokesperson told The Hill.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to invade Rafah for months, per Axios, new reports indicate the invasion will soon be underway.
Early Monday, AP reported that Israel’s military has ordered the evacuation of about 100,000 people from Rafah.
Lt. Col Nadav Shoshani said people in the area were told to move to Muwasi, an Israeli humanitarian zone. Shoshani said they were preparing a “limited scope operation” without clarifying whether a full-scale invasion was imminent, per AP.
On Sunday, Netanyahu appeared to suggest an invasion of Rafah was likely regardless of U.S. support or an agreement with Hamas.
“In the terrible Holocaust, there were great leaders in the world who stood by, so the first lesson of the Holocaust is this: if we don't protect ourselves – no one will protect us. And if we have to stand alone – we will stand alone,” he said, via a Google translation of the Hebrew comments. בשואה הנוראה היו מנהיגים גדולים בעולם שעמדו מנגד, ולכן הלקח הראשון של השואה הוא זה: אם לא נגן על עצמנו - אף אחד לא יגן עלינו. ואם אנו צריכים לעמוד לבד - נעמוד לבד. pic.twitter.com/AQ18dNVjZX
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 5, 2024
“Biden is also facing criticism from Democrats who have pushed him to garner assurances that U.S.-manufactured munitions are being used in accordance with international law,” The Hill reports. “Federal law requires that military aid be used lawfully, though an increasing number of Democratic lawmakers have pushed Biden to draw a stronger line on the issue, especially after the State Department determined last week that certain units of the Israeli military were involved in gross violations of human rights.”
