US discussing release of suspended bomb shipment with Israel, official says
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File photo: Palestinians gather near a crater at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, February 18, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File photo
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WASHINGTON - The United States is discussing with Israel the release of a shipment of 500-pound bombs that was suspended in May over worries about the military operation in Rafah, a U.S. official said on Thursday.
The matter was discussed this week during a visit to Washington by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the official said.
Axios, citing a U.S. and an Israeli official, earlier said the United States was preparing to deliver the bombs.
Top aides to President Joe Biden told Gallant that Washington was maintaining a pause on a shipment of heavy bombs for Israel while the issue is under review, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday.
Biden paused the single shipment in May over concerns they could cause more Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza. REUTERS
