On Wednesday, May 8, at a hearing in Congress, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin confirmed that the delay in the supply of weapons and ammunition to Israel is related to the operation that he began in Rafah. Austin added that Washington has made it clear to the Israeli leadership that it is concerned about the lives of civilians “on the battlefield.”
The head of the Pentagon emphasized that the final decision on providing military assistance to Israel has not yet been made.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the shipment of weapons and ammunition worth $260 million to Israel has been delayed. This batch included 6,500 Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) kits, which allow unguided bombs to be converted into precision-guided munitions.