The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that the green light had been given for sending these bombs.
The bombs “are in the process of being shipped” and They are expected to arrive in Israel in the coming weeks.said a government official USA to said medium.
Shipping to Israel of 900-kilogram (2,000-pound) bombs, known as MK84 still remains unauthorized.
It is worth remembering that in May of this year, The United States vetoed the delivery of 3,500 bombs to Israel weighing 900 kilos, claiming that they had been used against civilians in Gaza.
When at that moment Biden confirmed that the United States will not deliver more bombs to Israel the president argued that it was to protect the civilian population and that these could not be used in Rafah.
“Civilians have died in Gaza as a result of these bombs. and in other ways in which they attack population centers,” the president told CNN in May, in one of his strongest statements against his ally so far this year. war started on October 7, 2023.
“I made it clear that if they come into RafahI will not supply the weapons that have historically been used to take over places like Rafah, to take over cities”Biden stressed.
In the same interview, Biden said the United States will continue to supply Israel with defensive weapons such as those of its anti-aircraft defense system Iron Dome but other shipments would cease.
The Washington Post newspaper stated that Israel used the 900-kilogram bombs in the bombing of the refugee camp They counted on October 31, 2023, which left dozens of civilians dead and destroyed numerous buildings.
“These are the bombs that can destroy entire blocks,” A senior administration official said then Biden referring to the 900-kilogram projectiles.
MK84 bombs leave craters in the ground 12 metres wide or more and can send deadly shrapnel hundreds of metres from the point of impact. They are rarely used by Western armies in heavily populated areas because of the risk of civilian casualties, the Washington Post said.
The US justifies the sending of 225-kilogram bombs
About the 225 kilo bombsthe official consulted by the Wall Street Journal said that The United States was not concerned about its use in a densely populated area of GazaHe added that they had not been sent to Israel by chance and not because of a veto.
“Because of the way these shipments are prepared, other munitions can sometimes be mixed in. That is what happened here with the 225 kilogram bombssince our main concern had been – and remains – the possible use of 900-kilogram bombs in Rafah and in other parts of Gaza”the official said.
“Because our concern was not the 225-kilogram bombs, those move forward as part of the normal process,” he added.
In mid-June, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahucomplained because USA was holding back the arms shipment and hinted that this was slowing down Israel’s offensive in Rafaha city that welcomed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by the war.
“It is inconceivable that the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition from Israel in recent months,” Netanyahu said. “Give us the tools and we will finish the job much faster,” he added.
According to an analysis by The New York Times, Since World War II, the United States has provided more aid to Israel than to any other country in the world.
From 1948 until last year, USA had provided $158.7 billion to Israelthe bulk of which ($124.3 billion) was earmarked for its Army and its missile defenses, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In addition, according to a 10-year memorandum of understanding signed in 2016 by President Barack ObamaThe United States currently provides $3.8 billion a year in military aid to Israelnot counting the $15 billion in additional aid approved in April of this year by the US Congress.
Opinion…
The US’s reasons for arming Israel
By Andres Gomez de la Torre,
Defense specialist
It should be noted that the United States is going through an election year, which brings with it many complexities. Moreover, it is true that there is a dilemma among liberal Democrats about resuming or intensifying military support to Israel in the context of the war in Gaza. Some Democratic voices are in favor of cutting military aid due to humanitarian issues, but in this internal debate one must also weigh the mass of Jewish voters and donors in the United States, and the weight that this community carries.
Thus, although there are some dissenting voices, it is clear that the Biden administration will continue with the classic line of US foreign and security policy in unconditional support of Israel, with the added value that this crisis with Hamas has a very sensitive vector for the US, which is the influence in the Middle East region of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies, such as the Palestinian Islamist movement and Hezbollah. This is a fundamental element to understand the issue.
Recently, President Biden signed new military aid to Israel, and Congress also unblocked the same for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, in an international strategic scenario.
Finally, one must take into account the very strong support that the United States has given Israel in all its wars, particularly in 1973, the Yom Kippur War, when Prime Minister Golda Meir was in power and her country found itself in a very complicated situation due to the surprise attack by Egypt in coordination with Syria. So what will prevail here is a historical line of unconditional support from the United States.
US bombs killing Palestinians
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Israel continues to use ammunition manufactured in USA for its attacks in Gaza, This week, CNN confirmed that in the bombing of a school complex housing displaced people near Khan Yunisin the south of Gazaa small diameter bomb (SDB) was used GBU-39 of American origin.
At least 27 people died and 53 were injured in the attack, which hit the door of the Al-Mutanabbi School Complexalso known locally as Al-Awda Schoolsaccording to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
CNN accessed a video from the scene of the attack that was shared with experts. They confirmed that a tail section of the munition shown on the recording belonged to a GBU-39 bomb.
“Based on the characteristic shape of the fin, the screw housings, as well as the general shape of the ammunition fragment… this remnant is consistent with a GBU-39 series tail drive system located at the rear of the ammunition,” told CNN Patrick Senfta research coordinator with Armament Research Services (ARES).
Israel indicated on Tuesday that the target of the attack was an agent of Hamas“This afternoon, using precision munitions, the (Israeli air force) attacked a terrorist from Hamas’s military wing who participated, among other terrorist activities, in the brutal massacre of October 7,” he said.
CNN reported that The GBU-39 bomb is manufactured by Boeing. It is a high-precision munition “designed to attack strategically important point targets” and cause little collateral damageexplosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith told CNN in May. The munition had been used by Israel in Rafah that month.
“The use of any munition, even of this size, is always risky in a densely populated area,” Cobb-Smith said.