US PAUSES BOMBS DELIVERY TO ISRAEL

Humanitarian concerns for Rafah civilians as assault looms

- ANDY LINES

THE US has dramatically halted sending a huge bomb shipment to Israel over fears it was going ahead with its ground operation in Rafah.

The decision to pause the delivery of 3,500 bombs amid humanitarian concerns was confirmed by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin last night.

It followed further air strikes in the Gaza Strip after Israeli forces, backed by tanks, took control of the Palestinians' side of the key Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.

Mr Austin said: "We've been very clear from the very beginning that Israel shouldn't launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting civilians in that battle space."

He also told a Senate hearing: "We have paused one shipment of high payload munitions. We've not made a final determination on how to proceed with that."