Will not send weapons if they invade Rafah

The US has historically sent large amounts of military aid to Israel, and the scope has increased after Hamas’s attack on October 7, writes the AP news agency.

– Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs, and in other ways where they go after population centers, says President Joe Biden in an interview with CNN on the night of Thursday Norwegian time.

He refers, among other things, to a delivery of 900-kilogram bombs that was stopped last week, writes the channel. According to AP, Israel has used this type of bomb frequently throughout the war, which is used as one of the explanations for the high death toll.

According to the health authorities in Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, more than 34,000 people have been killed so far.

Will continue to support Israeli defense

The news that the US had withheld deliveries of weapons to Israel due to concerns about a full ground invasion of Rafah in the very south of Gaza came on the night of Wednesday.

A day later, Biden delivers a clear message to his Israeli allies:

– I have made it clear that if they enter Rafah, they have not yet, but if they enter Rafah, I will not give them the weapons that have historically been used to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities and that problem, he says.

The US will, however, continue to supply weapons Israel uses in its defense, including in the Iron Dome air defense system, says Biden.

– But we are not going to send them weapons and artillery shells, he says.

Strong reactions

Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir writes “Hamas ♥ Biden” on X Thursday morning, after the weapons announcement from Biden.

Gvir represents the Otzma Yehudit party which is on the far right in Israeli politics.

The tweet has caused reactions, including from Yair Lapid, who is the leader of the political opposition in the country:

– If Netanyahu does not fire Ben-Gvir today, he is putting all IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens in danger, writes Lapid.

Earlier, he said that Biden’s weapons warning is a clear result of Netanyahu’s “failed rule”, writes The Times of Israel.

Negotiations at a standstill

Representatives of Hamas, Israel, the United Nations, the United States and Qatar are now participating in various negotiations in Cairo, Egypt.

Hamas says it remains steadfast in its support for the ceasefire proposal it agreed to earlier this week, which was rejected by Israel.

Izzar El-Reshiq in Hamas’s political bureau also says that the group will not go further than they did in the ceasefire proposal, writes Reuters.

– Israel is not serious when it comes to concluding an agreement, and they are using the negotiations as a cover to invade Rafah and occupy the border crossing, says El-Reshiq.

Rolled into Rafah

Despite the fact that, according to Biden, Israel has not started the ground invasion, Israeli tanks rolled into the city in the very south of Gaza on the night of Tuesday.

The US president says this is causing problems in the region.

– They have not entered the population centers. What they did is right on the border. And that causes problems with Egypt, which I have worked hard to make sure we have a relationship with, Biden says.

Also read: Israel: Opens new border crossing from Gaza to Israel

– I have made it clear for Bibi Nickname of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.and the War Cabinet: They are not going to get our support if they go into these population centers.

Around 1.5 million Palestinians have been internally displaced to Rafah since the war began, and the area has previously been described as one of the safest places in Gaza.

– Diplomatic message

Itamar Yaar, who was previously deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council, calls the decision from the US symbolic.

– I think it is a kind of diplomatic message to Netanyahu that he must think more about American interests than what he has done in recent months, he tells AP.

– As of now, this will not affect Israel’s capacity, but it is a form of signal, a “be careful”.

Criticized by Republicans

The messages about the arms deliveries are met with strong criticism by Republican leaders in the US CongressThe legislative assembly of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives..

In a joint letter to Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell demand answers. They write that the ceasefire could “embolden Israel’s enemies and undermine trust in the United States”.

Lindsay Graham, another prominent Republican senator, is also critical.

– If we stop sending weapons that are necessary for Israel at a time of great danger, we will pay a price, he says on Wednesday, according to AP.

– This is indecent. It is absurd. Give Israel what it needs to fight the war it cannot afford to lose.

Senator Bernie Sanders, who has previously tried to become the Democrats’ presidential candidate, believes that a possible ceasefire is only a first step.

– Over the years, the United States has sent weapons worth billions of dollars as military aid to Israel. We can no longer be part of Netanyahu’s cruel war against the Palestinian people, he writes on X.