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President Joe Biden decided last week to stop shipping U.S.-made ammunition to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Two Israeli officials told Axios that the suspension of ammo has raised serious concerns in Jerusalem and left the Israeli government scrambling to understand why the latest intended shipment was held up.
Biden halting the shipment of Americans munitionsis the first time the U.S. has not followed-through on sending weapons assistance since Israel was invaded and attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 – launching a now 7-month war in Gaza.
The White House , Pentagon , State Department and Israeli Prime Minister’s office have yet to respond to or comment on the report. Cease-fire talks appeared to have collapsed overnight after a Hamas rocket attack on Sunday killed three Israeli Defense Force soldiers at a checkpoint. IDF’s retaliatory attack killed 19 Palestinians in Rafah.
The IDF ordered evacuations in the southern Gaza city on Monday morning, according to the Associated Press, which it notes could mean ‘a long-promised ground invasion there could be imminent.’ The attack from Hamas overnight is now being used as proof that the terror group is using Palestinians as ‘human shields’ to try and deflect retaliatory attacks and attempt to gain global support for a cease-fire due to loss of innocent lives in Gaza.
President Biden has faced an onslaught of criticism from Americans who oppose support for Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists operating out of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Israel provided a signed letter to the Biden administration in March that assured any U.S.-made weapons were used in accordance with international law when employed in the conflict in the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday hinting at rising tensions between the government in Jerusalem and the Biden administration.
‘In the terrible Holocaust, there were great world leaders who stood by idly; therefore, the first lesson of the Holocaust is: If we do not defend ourselves, nobody will defend us. And if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone,’ the PM said.
There are concerns that Israel plans to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltered – and Netanyahu has released several statements confirming intentions to invade. The escalation of tensions with the attacks overnight only increases the chances that a Rafah invasion is imminent.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Israel last Wednesday and had a ‘tough’ conversation with Netanyahu regarding the fallout if Israel engages in a ground operation in Rafah, according to two sources briefed on the meeting.
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