US ends pause on supplying 2,000-pound bombs to Israel: Axios

WASHINGTON

The White House has instructed the Pentagon to lift a hold imposed by the Biden administration on supplying 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, Axios reported on Saturday.

Citing three Israeli officials, the online outlet said the Israeli government was notified by the Pentagon about the change on Friday.

According to report, the officials said that 1,800 MK-84 bombs will be put on a ship and delivered to Israel in the coming days.

Last May, then-President Joe Biden paused the delivery of a weapons shipment that included 2,000-pound bombs that Israel had used to flatten wide swathes of Gaza Strip.

His decision to halt the shipment was made due to concerns over its possible use in a heavily populated area.

The US has long been criticized for providing support to Israel in its ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, where more than 47,000 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Oct. 7, 2023.

Some US lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders frequently make calls for the US to stop supplying weapons to Israel, and stop being complicit in Israel's war in Gaza.

Ahead of last fall’s US election, many Arab and Muslim voters, or voters concerned about human rights and Gaza, vowed to not vote for Biden or his designated heir, Vice President Kamala Harris, over their near-total support for Israel.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.