(Image source from: AP)
As efforts for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict continue, the United States is making preparations to provide additional weapons to Israel. Despite opposing Israel's plans for a ground invasion in southern Rafah, where many displaced people are trapped, the US is still planning to send more bombs and weapons. These include 1,000 MK-82 500-pound bombs and KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), which can transform unguided munitions into precise bombs. The shipment, estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars, may also include FMU-139 bomb fuses. The US officials, who remain unnamed, state that the funds for this shipment will come from US military aid to Israel. A draft assessment from the US embassy in Jerusalem supports Israel's request for these items, claiming they are necessary for defense against regional threats. The assessment also dismisses concerns about human rights violations, stating that Israel takes steps to prevent such violations and hold accountable any security forces that violate those rights.
Amid the ongoing war that has resulted in the deaths of over 28,000 Palestinians, primarily innocent children and women, and has left tens of thousands more wounded or missing, there have been reports of shipments of bombs and other military supplies being sent to Israel. The Wall Street Journal has stated that the United States has supplied approximately 21,000 precision-guided munitions to Israel since the war began in October. It has been noted that these remaining weapons would be sufficient for 19 weeks of bombing Gaza, but if Israel were to initiate a full-scale attack on Lebanon, where they have been engaged in border clashes with Hezbollah, this supply would be depleted within days. President Biden, in his recent discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has expressed the need for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. Despite facing widespread international criticism, Israel has declared its intention to launch a ground invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, which shares a border with Egypt. This city is home to around 1.4 million of the 2.3 million people who have been forcibly displaced during Israeli attacks throughout Gaza in the past four months.
Biden warned Netanyahu about proceeding with a military action in Rafah without a solid and feasible strategy to safeguard the Palestinians seeking refuge there, which resulted in a suspension of US weapon transfers.
