Biden says U.S. won't supply Israel with weapons for Rafah offensive

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By , Ed O'Keefe, Kathryn Watson Updated on: May 9, 2024 / 2:11 AM EDT / CBS News U.S. pauses arms shipment to Israel U.S. pauses arms shipment to Israel over Rafah concerns 02:51 President Biden said Thursday that the U.S. will not provide Israel with weapons for an offensive in Rafah and at the same time acknowledged that Israel has used powerful American-made weapons in deadly attacks in Gaza.
In an interview with CNN, the president was asked about the U.S. pause last week of a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel and whether those bombs were "used to kill civilians in Gaza."
The U.S. last week paused a shipment of weapons to Israel that included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs as Israeli leaders neared a decision to launch an operation in Rafah, a southern Gaza city where more than 1 million people are taking shelter after fleeing other parts of Gaza.
When Israeli leaders appeared close to a decision on Rafah, the Biden administration began to review upcoming transfers of weapons that could be used in Rafah, and as a result, paused one shipment last week, the official said.