The United States is reportedly sending additional bombs to Israel, according to two senior administration officials who spoke to NBC News.
This action contradicts the Biden administration's public expressions of frustration with Israel's conduct in the ongoing conflict and its efforts to broker a cease-fire.
The bombs are part of a weapons package approved for Israel years ago but are only now being delivered.
The package includes more than 1,800 Mark 84 (MK84) 2,000-pound bombs and approximately 500 Mark 82 (MK82) 500-pound bombs, the officials said. The delivery of these weapons was first reported by The Washington Post.
The Mark 84 and 82 are considered "dumb" bombs, which means they lack precision guidance. However, they can be converted into precision-guided munitions with the help of a guidance kit, which the U.S. has provided to Israel in the past.
Despite their potential for precision, these bombs are known to cause civilian casualties, and there are concerns that Israel has used them in its campaign in Gaza.
"These are the bombs that can destroy entire blocks," one senior administration official said of the MK84 bombs.
The delivery of these bombs comes at a time when U.S. officials have stated that Israel has assured Washington that it is using American-supplied weapons in accordance with international law.
Israel receives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance from the U.S.
However, there is increasing criticism of Washington's decision to continue supplying weapons to Israel six months into the conflict, especially as international scrutiny of Israel's military tactics in Gaza and the rising civilian death toll continues.
Cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Cairo, Egypt, according to Al-Qahera television. However, a Hamas official has stated that the group will not attend.
The Israeli prime minister's office has confirmed that the talks will resume "next week." Any new agreement is likely to result in a prolonged cessation of hostilities in exchange for the release of some of the approximately 140 hostages still in Hamas captivity.
Despite ongoing mediation efforts, there has been little progress since the last truce in November.
Last week, the United Nations Security Council passed a symbolic resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, after the U.S.
abstained from voting, angering Israel.
This came after the U.S. had previously vetoed several resolutions calling for an end to hostilities.
While the Biden administration's public frustration with Israel's handling of the conflict appears to be growing, its efforts to achieve a cease-fire are overshadowed by the continued supply of powerful bombs to Israel, which are known to cause serious harm to civilians.
In the nearly six months since the conflict began, more than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian officials.
Thousands more are trapped under rubble and presumed dead.
The fighting has destroyed hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure, displacing the majority of Gaza's more than 2 million residents. Israel has maintained that it will not stop its military offensive until all of Hamas has been destroyed, despite increasing calls from global leaders and international organizations for a cease-fire.
Last week, the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories stated that the hostilities have reached the level of genocide.
The Israel Defense Forces have stated that they are continuing with "precise operational activity" in the area of Gaza's main hospital, which they claim is being used as a Hamas hub.
The Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has been under Israeli army raid for nearly two weeks, raising questions about the fate of civilians sheltering at the site.
The IDF reported that it had eliminated four senior Hamas operatives at the hospital.
Gaza authorities have reported that the operation at Al-Shifa has claimed 400 lives so far.
However, NBC News has not been able to verify this number and has reached out to the IDF for comment.
The raid has also delayed a new mission to the hospital from the World Health Organization, according to its chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said that three prior missions had been denied access.
"We are extremely worried about their condition and safety," Tedros said.
Hamas authorities in Gaza have accused Israel of bombing tents with displaced people and journalists inside the walls of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, resulting in deaths and injuries.
The IDF stated that its aircraft had struck an "operational Islamic Jihad command center" that operated from the hospital's courtyard. NBC News has geolocated footage showing the aftermath of the strike, including medical personnel helping the wounded and at least one injured person lying on the ground, but is unable to independently confirm the conflicting accounts of the attack.
The conflict has also hindered aid from reaching those in need inside Gaza.
While some trucks with food have been able to enter Gaza slowly through land crossings controlled by Israel, a second convoy of three ships and a barge carrying 400 tons of food and other supplies set sail from Cyprus recently.
World Central Kitchen, the charity behind the operation, stated that there was enough food in the shipment to prepare more than 1 million meals.
The organization's first ship carrying aid reached Gaza two weeks ago in the first such maritime delivery since the conflict began.
Palestinian health officials have reported that 27 children have died due to malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza, but the United Nations has warned that the true death toll from starvation is likely to be significantly higher.
A report released earlier this month said that famine was imminent in northern Gaza and that the famine threshold for acute food insecurity had already been far exceeded.