US sends Israel 500-pound bombs withheld since May over Rafah op

Withheld from Israel since May over concerns the IDF would use them in densely populated areas of Gaza, a consignment of 1,700 500-pound munitions is en route to Israel, while transfer of 2,000-pound bombs remains frozen over concerns their use could harm civilians, according to a report.

According to The Times of Israel report, citing an US official, the primary reason to withhold munitions in the first place was that they happened to be a part of a shipment with the more lethal 2,000-pound bombs.

“We’ve been clear that our concern has been on the end-use of the 2,000-pound bombs, particularly in advance of Israel’s Rafah campaign, which they have announced they are concluding,” the US official said, confirming that the 500-pound bombs were en route to Israel.

In May, the White House announced it would withhold a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs. President Joe Biden had also warned of further freezing of offensive weaponry if Israel initiated a significant military operation in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where over one million Palestinians were taking refuge at the time.

According to a Times of Israel report, citing an Israeli official, Israel subsequently tailored its operations to account for the administration’s concerns about mass-civilian casualties, and the sides were on track to resolving the issue of the withheld shipment.

However, last month, Netanyahu publicly said that the US had adopted a broader policy of withholding weapons shipments to Israel, which reportedly irked the Biden administration and setting back efforts to at least partially release the withheld shipment of high-payload bombs, added the Israeli official.

The official said that Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and his office managed to alleviate some of the tensions during visits to Washington in late June. As a result, the US has decided to release the 1,700 500-pound bombs.

According to the report, Netanyahu claimed that he only went public with the dispute over weapon transfers after private attempts to resolve the issue over several months had failed.

Following Gallant’s visit, the US acknowledged that there had been delays in the weapon transfer process but insisted these were due to bureaucracy rather than political reasons and said that they had now been addressed.

Israel has said it plans to wrap up its tailored Rafah operation in the coming weeks and shift to lower-intensity fighting that will largely feature pinpointed raids in areas of Gaza where Hamas tries to regroup.

The US officials said the 500-pound bombs were never a serious concern for the Biden administration.

“Because of how these shipments are put together, other munitions may sometimes be co-mingled. That’s what happened here with the 500-pound bombs," The Washington Post quoted an US official as saying.

“Since our main concern had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza, the 500-pound bombs are moving forward as part of the usual process,” the US official added, offering no indication if or when the heavier munitions will be released.

While the tempo of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has slowed somewhat, Israeli strikes continue to be associated with mass-casualty events, including a strike Tuesday at a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Khan Younis that killed at least 25 people and wounded 50 more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel said the airstrike targeted Hamas  fighters.

With inputs from agencies