In a controversial decision, the United States has agreed to resume shipping 500-pound (230kg) bombs to Israel while continuing to hold back supplies of powerful 2,000-pound (900kg) bombs. The move comes as the US government expresses concerns over the potential impact of the larger weapons if used by Israeli forces in densely populated areas of Gaza.
The US had previously paused one shipment of both 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs in May, citing concerns over the use of these weapons during Israel's ground invasion of the southern city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinian civilians had sought shelter.
According to a US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, the administration has been clear that our concern has been on the end-use of the 2,000-pound bombs, particularly for Israel's Rafah campaign which they have announced they are concluding.
The official explained that the consignment of 500-pound bombs was in the same shipment as the 2,000-pound bombs, leading to the stalled transfer of the smaller bombs to Israel. However, the US has now decided to release the 500-pound bombs, while maintaining a hold on the larger 2,000-pound weapons.
The decision to resume the shipment of 500-pound bombs is likely to ramp up criticism of the Biden administration for its ongoing support for Israel in its war on Gaza. On detonation, a 500-pound bomb can severely harm or kill everything or anyone within a 20-metre (65-foot) blast radius, while a 2,000-pound bomb has a destruction radius of 35 metres (115 feet), according to the Project on Defense Alternatives.
The US official stated that the administration's main concern had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-pound bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza, indicating that the larger weapons are still considered too dangerous for use in the densely populated region.
The move to resume the shipment of 500-pound bombs, while withholding the more powerful 2,000-pound variants, reflects the delicate balancing act the US government is attempting to maintain between supporting its ally Israel and addressing concerns over the potential humanitarian impact of the weapons.
As the conflict in Gaza continues, the Biden administration's decision is likely to face intense scrutiny from both sides of the political aisle, as well as from international observers concerned about the escalating violence and its toll on civilian populations.
