Joe Biden on Wednesday publicly warned Israel for the first time that the United States would stop supplying it with weapons if Israeli forces invade the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. One of the deliveries has already been suspended, as confirmed by the head of the Pentagon.
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that one of the shipments of bombs to Israel for the war against Hamas had been suspended so that they “would not be used to kill Palestinian civilians.” “Civilians are dying in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other attacks on population centers,” Joe Biden told CNN.
“I made it clear that if they enter Rafah, I will not provide weapons that have been used in the past to crack down on cities,” the president said.
Reuters noted that it was the first time Biden had publicly warned Israel so clearly.
Israeli Effects on RafahHAITHAM IMAD/PAP/EPA
The Pentagon stops the shipment of ammunition to Israel
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday that the US has suspended one shipment of ammunition to Israel in light of Israel's announced plans for a military operation in Rafah in the Gaza Strip. He added that his ministry is currently analyzing further tranches.
Austin confirmed media reports about the suspension of ammunition deliveries to Israel during a hearing before the Senate Defense Budget Subcommittee. As he stated, the decision was related to Israel's announced plans to storm Rafah – the last stronghold of Hamas, where over a million Palestinian civilians are currently sheltering.
– We have made it clear from the beginning that Israel should not launch a major attack on Rafah without protecting civilians who are on the battlefield. And after analyzing the situation, we have suspended one shipment of ammunition, Austin said.
Main photo source: Shawn Thew/PAP/EPA