Last week, President Joe Biden of the United States decided to halt a weapons shipment to Israel, highlighting the growing strain between the US and Israel regarding the war’s approach. This move comes as a result of fears that the 3,500 bombs within the shipment may be utilised in a long-standing threat of an attack on Rafah, a city where over a million residents of the Gaza Strip have sought refuge, stated officials from the Biden administration on Tuesday.
Future transfers are currently under examination, including the inclusion of guidance kits capable of transforming basic bombs into precision-guided munitions. President Biden’s resolution to postpone the bomb shipment marks the first instance of using his authority to restrict weapon sales as a means to affect Israel’s war strategies, following a terror attack led by Hamas on October 7th.
Despite pressures from Biden’s Democrat allies in Congress to limit or even cease arms shipments to Israel, Biden was reluctant to do so due to his considerable backing of the war against Hamas. Israeli officials confirmed this pause in weapon supply to Axios earlier in the week, but US officials provided no confirmation up till Tuesday evening. This move indicates the escalating discontent amongst administration officials, who believe that their Israeli counterparts are ignoring US cautions against a large scale operation in Rafah, risking significant civilian casualties.
Scarcely hours after the arms pause was confirmed, Israel deployed tanks into the Gazan city. International humanitarian organisations have noted that the shutting of Rafah and Kerem Shalom entries into Gaza has essentially disconnected the enclave from any external aid.
One US official disclosed that the review of arms shipments commenced when it appeared that Israel was nearing a decision on the Rafah operation last month. Initially, Biden’s stance was that Israel should not assault Rafah without a well-designed plan to significantly reduce civilian casualties, but lately, the White House has expressed doubts about the feasibility of such a plan.
Although there is a lack of clarity from Israel regarding a potential assault on Rafah, the recent actions by Israeli forces seem to suggest a move in this direction. An order for 110,000 civilians to evacuate from Rafah was issued, coupled with air strikes against targets along the city’s border areas, in response to Hamas rockets that killed four Israeli soldiers during the weekend.
Israel gained control of the Rafah border crossing, a crucial aid route, early on Tuesday and carried out a limited operation in the city with the goal of taking out Hamas fighters and their infrastructure following a rocket attack. While it seemed like the prelude to a broader assault that Israel has been threatening, the manoeuvre along with the evacuation directives seem to be tactics to pressurise Hamas. This comes as officials are in Cairo discussing a potential ceasefire agreement.
The US administration is still providing weaponry to Israel, including a recently approved $827 million worth of arms and equipment, with officials stating that the entirety of the amount recently sanctioned by Congress will be sent. However, there is specific concern around the potential harm from 2,000-pound bombs in densely populated areas like Rafah, where a significant number of civilians have been displaced.
Despite these issues, the US government remains hopeful about bridging the gaps between Israel and Hamas in the ongoing ceasefire discussions over the latest proposal by the Palestinian group. These negotiations are scheduled to resume in Cairo on Wednesday.
During Israel’s seven-month-long campaign, Israeli forces managed to take over the main Gaza-Egypt crossing in southern Rafah city earlier on Tuesday, where over a million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge. This action has resulted in severing a key aid route to a small enclave where countless people are left homeless and hungry.
As talks on reaching a ceasefire extend into Wednesday, all five participating delegations – Hamas, Israel, the US, Egypt, and Qatar – have positively responded to the continuation of the meetings. On Wednesday, the director of the CIA, Bill Burns, is supposed to depart from Cairo to meet the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, according to a well-informed source.
On the previous day, Israel rejected a three-tier proposal ratified by Hamas, citing that the terms had been watered down.
John Kirby, a spokesperson from the White House, confirmed on Tuesday that a revised proposal from Hamas has been received. He mentioned, without specifying details, that the variant text is indicative of the potential to effectively mend the residual differences.
Since the week-long ceasefire that took place in November – the only respite in the volatile situation between both parties – progress has been hindered. This is primarily due to Hamas’ stance of refusing to release additional Israeli captives unless there is a guarantee for a definitive cessation to the conflict. Israel, on the other hand, insists that it will only agree to a temporary suspension.
Tuesday’s footage from the Israeli military displayed tanks making their way through the Rafah crossing complex, positioned between Egypt and Gaza, with the Israeli flag hoisted on the Gaza side. According to Israel, Rafah is the final bastion of Hamas fighters.
Hamas representative Osama Hamdan, addressing reporters in Beirut, cautioned that in the absence of an end to Israel’s military intrusion in Rafah, a ceasefire agreement is off the table.
It has been reported by relief agencies that the blockade of both Rafah and Kerem Shalom entry points into Gaza have virtually made the region inaccessible to external aid.
As per Israel’s military, a restrained operation is taking place in Rafah to eliminate fighters and disrupt the infrastructure leveraged by Hamas which controls Gaza. Civilians who have been displaced earlier in the conflict from different areas of Gaza have been directed to move 20km (12 miles) away to an ‘expanded humanitarian zone’.
Calling upon both Israel and Hamas, Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, has urged all efforts be made to agree on a ceasefire. Guterres has stated that there would be serious human consequences should a comprehensive assault be executed on Rafah.
Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian office stationed in Geneva, reported that the situation in Rafah has induced a state of “panic and despair” among the people.
On Tuesday evening, locals reported intense shelling by tanks in certain areas of eastern Rafah. Following the shelling by Israel, a Rafah municipal structure was engulfed in flames, which resulted in the death of a Palestinian and several injuries, as per medics. They also reported that an Israeli attack resulted in the demise of two Palestinians riding a motorcycle.
According to health officials, intense bombing in the vicinity resulted in the closure of Abu Yousef Al-Najar, Rafah’s main hospital, causing the medical personnel along with roughly 200 patients to evacuate. It has been confirmed by the UN and other global aid agencies that the blockade of two passageways into southern Gaza, Rafah and Kerem Shalom, controlled by Israel, have essentially isolated Gaza from receiving external aid, and there are minimal supplies available within.
Families have been left cramped within tent colonies and strained shelters, enduring a severe scarcity of food, water, medication, and other fundamental supplies. Red Crescent affiliates in Egypt indicated that shipments had totally come to a halt. Philippe Lazzarini, the Chief of the United Nations relief agency, Unrwa, underscored the need to reestablish these critical passages promptly, pointing out their critical function as a lifeline.
The information relayed to the White House suggested that the Kerem Shalom crossing would reinstate on Wednesday, along with the resumption of fuel renditions through Rafah. As divulged by Hamas officials, an early blueprint and an official informed about the discussions, the plan that received the green light from Hamas on Monday involved a premier phase. This phase would entail a ceasefire for a span of six weeks, a surge of aid routed to Gaza, repatriation of 33 Israeli hostages, whether living or deceased, and for each Israeli hostage liberated, the freedom of 30 Palestinian children and females incarcerated by Israel would be sought.
These details were originally featured in The New York Times with supplementary coverage from Reuters. Thomson Reuters holds the copyright for this information from the year 2024.