US Suspends Shipment of Precision Bombs to Israel over Concerns in Gaza’s Rafah

The US has temporarily halted shipments of two types of precision bombs, including 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, to Israel due to concerns about their use in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million refugees are sheltering. The decision follows reports that Israel is planning an assault on Rafah in an effort to eliminate the remaining elements of Hamas. While Israel has relied heavily on these bombs in its attacks on Gaza, human rights organizations claim that their use has resulted in the indiscriminate killing of civilians. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that smaller, more precise weapons are required for such a densely populated region, although he emphasized that the US would continue to provide Israel with the resources it needs to defend itself. The US began supplying these bombs to Ukraine in 2022, and they are also utilized by Israeli fighter jets, bombers, and drones. Some variants of the bombs penetrate deeply underground targets, while others explode upon contact with the ground, causing widespread destruction. Although the bombs lack guidance systems, they may be fitted with Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits, which enable troops to direct the bombs to their intended targets. However, in a densely populated area, a precise hit will still result in significant harm to innocent bystanders. The US has a substantial stockpile of these bombs, making them more readily available than other types of munitions in the US inventory, such as 155mm artillery shells. This decision has been criticized by Israel’s UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, who suggested that the US was yielding to political pressure from Congress, campus protests, and the forthcoming election.