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Israel due to get billions of dollars of U.S. weapons despite pause on bombs

Billions of dollars worth of U.S. weaponry remains in the pipeline for Israel, despite the delay of one shipment of bombs and a review of others by President Joe Biden’s administration, concerned their use in an assault could wreak more devastation on Palestinian civilians.

The administration paused a shipment of 2,000-pound heavy bombs to Israel after reviewing the delivery of weapons that Israel might use for a major invasion of Rafah, a southern Gaza city where over 1 million civilians have sought refuge, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin publicly confirmed Wednesday.

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White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Israel was still getting the weapons it needs to defend itself. “He’s (Biden’s) going to continue to provide Israel with the capabilities that it needs, all of them,” Kirby said.

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Some Congressional Democrats welcomed Biden’s action.

Senator Chris Murphy, the Democratic chair of the Foreign Relations Mideast subcommittee, cited concern about Rafah.

“I do not think it is our strategic or moral interest to help Israel conduct a campaign in Rafah that is likely to kill thousands of innocent civilians and not likely impact Hamas’ long-term strength in a meaningful way,” he told Reuters.

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: World