A shipment of U.S. ammunition bound for Israel last week was halted by the Biden administration for reasons yet to be made clear, a report Sunday claimed.
Israeli officials were left scrambling as to why the shipment was withheld, Axios reported, while CNN declared the decision was unrelated to U.S. opposition to an invasion of the Hamas terrorist stronghold of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Biden administration recently signed off on $26 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists but officials have repeatedly warned against moving into Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering from the war.
An Israeli soldier prepares machine gun munitions while standing on an armored personnel carriers before entering into the Gaza Strip on April 10, 2024 in Southern Israel. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
The National Security Council said in a statement to The Hill the Biden administration’s backing of Israel has not changed, outlining:
The United States has surged billions of dollars in security assistance to Israel since the October 7 attacks, passed the largest ever supplemental appropriation for emergency assistance to Israel, led an unprecedented coalition to defend Israel against Iranian attacks, and will continue to do what is necessary to ensure Israel can defend itself from the threats it faces.
This is the first time since the Oct. 7 terrorism attack the U.S. has stopped a weapons shipment intended for the Israeli military.
The White House has made clear on a number of occasions it does not support a move by Israel into Rafah.
Last month National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that it’s “not clear” that it’s even possible for Israel to have “a credible plan” for an invasion of Rafah that the White House would support, as Breitbart News reported.
Israeli soldiers pack ammunition at a staging area on January 02, 2024 in Southern Israel, near the border to Gaza. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
Israel has previously stated it believes the Biden Administration is “slow-walking” military aid, including urgently needed ammunition.
Israelis are determined to win the war; columnist Caroline Glick, who has long advocated for returning Israeli arms production from the U.S. to Israel, said that “50,000” Israel volunteers would show up to build weapons, if asked.
UPADATE: The Times of Israel reports Israel says ammunition deliveries are continuing as normal.
Speaking to Ynet, an Israeli official downplayed the Axios report, saying “Even now, a continued series of defense shipments are being sent from the U.S. to Israel.”
“It’s possible that one shipment or another is delayed, but the flow continues and we’re not aware of a policy decision to stop it,” the official added.
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer told Breitbart News on Monday that he had not seen reports of any suspension of U.S. ammunition shipments.