Biden admits US bombs have killed Gaza residents, threatens to stop sending bombs to Israel

"Civilians are being killed in Gaza by those bombs and other things because of the way they target population centers," Biden told CNN.

"I have clearly warned that if they enter Rafah - they have not entered Rafah yet - if they enter Rafah, I do not want to supply weapons that have historically been used to deal with Rafah, to deal with cities - related to that issue," Biden continued.

On Monday (6/5/2024), the Israeli military sent its tanks to Rafah. The Israeli military's movement is seen as the beginning of a limited-scale ground attack on Rafah. Israel's invasion of Rafah is condemned by most of the international community, including its allies in the West.

Also read: Israel's invasion of Rafah, the Great Wall of Ceasefire in Gaza

Netanyahu insisted that he wanted to invade Rafah on the pretext of wanting to destroy Hamas figures and troops who they thought were in the area. Israel's attack on Rafah last Monday took place just hours after Hamas announced that it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal submitted by Qatar and Egypt, their mediator.

According to several US officials, the bombs that were postponed to be sent by the US to Israel were 3,500 bombs weighing between 226-907 kilograms. The postponement of the shipment has been going on for the past week.

According to an unnamed US official, Biden signed a delay in shipping bombs in an order sent to the Pentagon last week. The White House National Security Council tried to keep the decision from the public for several days.

Also read: US Delays Submission of Report on Israeli Law Violations to Congress When Rafah Was Attacked

US officials for days refused to comment on the suspension of weapons shipments to Israel. President Biden himself, while disagreeing with Israel's plan to invade Rafah, has repeatedly stated that the US will always support Israel.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Wednesday (8/5/2024), acknowledged the delay in delivering weapons to Israel. However, at the same time, he also stated that the US will continue to supply Israel despite the partial delay.

"We will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself," said Austin in a hearing with the US Senate Subcommittee on Defense. "However, at the moment we are reviewing some short-term security aid shipments in the context of events that have occurred in Rafah."

Also read: Hamas Agrees to Ceasefire, Israel Announces Attack on Rafah

Although mentioning the delay of several bomb deliveries, Austin asserted that the US will still supply the Israeli military with high-tech weaponry, including smart bombs. He described this policy as being about ensuring that Israel continues to receive support and has the appropriate weapons for the tasks at hand.

”Small diameter bombs, which are precision weapons, are very useful in dense, dense environments,” Austin said.

Biggest supplier

The postponement of the delivery of more than 3,500 bombs marks a rare turning point in the 76-year relationship between the US and Israel. However, this may not necessarily be a significant turning point as the Biden administration still allows most other weapons to be sent to Israel and used to attack the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinian civilians.

Not only that, as reported by US media, The New York Times, the fact is that US officials also emphasized that no final decision has been made regarding the bomb. currently in uncertainty.

Also read: Israel asks humanitarian organizations to leave Rafah

Historically, the US has become the largest supplier of military weapons to Israel in very large quantities. The supply of US weapons continued to increase after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The bombs that are currently being held from delivery are powerful explosives that have the potential to be misused by Israel to destroy Rafah.

Ryan Brobst, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies' Center on Military and Political Power in Washington, stated that bombs with various variants have a very powerful destructive power when dropped on the ground surface. Depending on its variant and target location, whether dropped in open areas or urban areas, the radius of the ammunition explosion could reach a quarter of a mile or 400 meters.

Also read: In the Midst of the Gaza War, US Senator Threatens the International Criminal Court

As quoted by AP, the bomb in question was a dumb or unguided bomb. Analysis by several experts on various explosion fragments found showed that the bombs had been dropped in various pockets in different areas of the city of Gaza. Experts believe that weapons manufacturers such as Raytheon, Northrop, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and General Atomics were the ones used by Israel over the past seven months in Gaza.

300,000 ammunition

A report compiled by the independent task force of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defense last month stated that US sources informed one of its members that 300,000 rounds of ammunition had been dropped or fired in Gaza during the first six months of the war. The report also cited "credible" media investigations that in the first month of the Israeli attack, there were at least 500 craters in Gaza due to the use of bombs weighing around 900 kilograms.

Also read: UN Rapporteur: Israel is not defending itself in Gaza

The United Nations (UN) stated that if the bombs of that size were dropped, in addition to the wide affected area, the pressure of the explosion could damage lungs, break sinus cavities, and tear body parts that are hundreds of meters away from the explosion site.

The 2022 report from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that the use of explosive materials in densely populated areas "is very likely to cause indiscriminate effects or violate the principle of proportionality."

Pros and cons

Biden's decision to delay the shipment of bombs has garnered both support and opposition. Senior US politician, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, called Biden's decision only the first step in a series of further steps that the White House must take to push for an end to the war and the continuation of violence against Palestinian civilians.

"For years, the US has provided military aid worth tens of billions of dollars to Israel. We can no longer be involved in the terrible war that Netanyahu is waging against the Palestinian people," Sanders said.

Also read: Antisemitism and Divestment in the Vortex of US Student Protests

In early April, 37 Democratic Party senators sent a letter urging Biden to completely halt the shipment of weapons to Israel. One of the signatories was former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, a close ally of Biden.

"Considering the recent attacks against relief workers and the worsening humanitarian crisis, we believe it is unjustifiable to approve this weapons transfer," stated the letter from the Democratic politicians.

However, Biden's decision to delay the shipment is opposed by Republican politicians. Criticisms were directed at the Biden administration by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell. In their letter to Biden, the Republican Party urged the White House to end the blockade, arguing that the decision could make Israel's enemies more daring.

"If we stop the necessary weapons to destroy the enemies of the state of Israel in times of great danger, we will bear the consequences," said Senator Lindsey Graham. "It doesn't make sense. Give Israel what they need to fight. They cannot afford to lose."

The Ambassador of Israel to the UN, Gilad Erdan, in an interview with Israeli news TV Channel 12, said the decision to delay the shipment was a very disappointing and even frustrating decision. He called it the result of political pressure on Biden from Congress, student protest movements in the US, and upcoming elections.

Also read: The Palestinian Struggle from the 1948 War to 2021

Former Israeli National Security Council Deputy Head Itamar Yaar called the decision a message from Biden to Netanyahu for Tel Aviv to be cautious in taking action. However, he also stated that the decision does not affect Israel's current military capability. (AP/REUTERS)