The Biden administration has decided to delay the sale of at least two arms shipments to Israel, citing concerns about the country's plans to expand a military operation in southern Gaza. This move, confirmed by four sources familiar with the matter, marks the first known instance of a delay in U.S. arms transfers since the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack into Israel, which resulted in more than 1,200 casualties.
Despite this delay, the United States has continued to provide significant military support to Israel, including tens of thousands of bombs and missiles, amid widespread destruction in Gaza and a rising death toll among Palestinians, which has exceeded 34,000, including many women and children, according to local health authorities. President Biden has criticized Israel's bombing campaign as "indiscriminate," but has refrained from using weapons transfers as leverage to change its behavior.
One U.S. official described the delay as a "shot across the bow" to signal to Israeli leaders the seriousness of U.S. concerns about the offensive in Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians are located near Gaza's border with Egypt.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One of the delayed shipments involves a commercial sale of 6,500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, which convert "dumb bombs" into precision-guided weapons. The other pertains to a shipment of small diameter bombs, the quantity of which is not specified. While both deals are currently suspended, they could be completed in the future, officials said.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to provide a rationale for the delays but reiterated U.S. support for Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas. However, outside of Washington, Biden has faced criticism from rank-and-file Democrats, including Arab American voters in key swing states, for his unwavering support for Israel amid worsening conditions in Gaza.
Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the potential consequences of an offensive in Rafah, emphasizing the risk it poses to the more than a million people seeking refuge there. Despite these warnings, Netanyahu has rejected calls to halt the war in Gaza, stating that "Israel will stand alone" if necessary.
The State Department has expressed concerns that an incursion into Rafah would lead to increased suffering for Palestinians, disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and result in a higher loss of civilian life. Netanyahu's recent actions, including the IDF's control of the Gazan side of the Rafah border crossing, have raised fears of a full-scale Israeli invasion.
U.S. officials are hopeful that negotiations, including the possibility of a hostage deal that includes a cease-fire, can prevent a full-scale invasion.
However, with the start of the Israeli operation, these prospects have become increasingly uncertain.