Biden Administration Resumes Shipping 500-Pound Bombs to Israel Amid Gaza Conflict Concerns

The Biden administration will resume the shipment of 500-pound bombs to Israel while maintaining a hold on 2,000-pound bombs due to concerns over their use in densely populated Gaza. The decision follows international scrutiny and ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which started in October with a deadly raid.

The Biden administration will resume shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel but will continue holding back on 2,000-pound bombs due to concerns about their use in densely populated Gaza, a U.S. official stated on Wednesday.

In May, the U.S. paused a shipment of both 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs over concerns about their impact in Gaza during the conflict initiated by Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 cross-border raid. The administration was particularly worried about the use of large bombs in Rafah, where over one million Palestinians took refuge.

'We've been clear that our concern has been the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs, particularly for Israel's Rafah campaign which they have stated is concluding,' a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. A single 2,000-pound bomb can penetrate thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius.

The 500-pound bombs were part of the same shipment as the larger bombs and were held up accordingly. 'Our main concern was and remains the potential use of 2,000 lb bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza... Since our concern was not about the 500 lb bombs, those are moving forward as part of the usual process,' the official added.

The U.S. has informed Israel about the release of the 500-pound bombs but maintained the hold on the larger ones. In June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed Washington was withholding weapons and pleaded with U.S. officials. Biden's aides expressed disappointment and confusion over Netanyahu's remarks.

During his visit to Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reported significant progress on the issue of U.S. munitions supply to Israel, stating 'obstacles were removed and bottlenecks addressed.' Despite the pause, Israel continues to receive a steady flow of U.S. weaponry.

Reuters reported that between the start of the Gaza war in October and end-June, the U.S. transferred at least 14,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, and other munitions. International scrutiny of Israel's Gaza operations has increased as the Palestinian death toll exceeds 38,000, according to Gaza health ministry reports.

The latest conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

(With inputs from agencies.)