The US has historically provided enormous amounts of military aid to Israel.
The shipment that was paused was supposed to consist of 900kg bombs and 225kg bombs, according to a senior US administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
The focus of US concern was the larger explosives and how they could be used in a dense urban area.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem,” Biden said.
“We’re not walking away from Israel’s security,” the Democratic president continued. “We’re walking away from Israel’s ability to wage war in those areas.”
On Thursday, an Israeli military spokesman said the army has the weapons it needs for a Rafah operation.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, in an interview with Israeli Channel 12 TV news, said the decision to pause the shipment was “a very disappointing decision, even frustrating.”
He suggested the move stemmed from political pressure on Biden from Congress, the US campus protests and the upcoming election.
The decision to pause some weapons also drew a sharp rebuke from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who said they only learned about the holdup from press reports, despite assurances from the Biden administration that no such pauses were in the works.
The Republicans called on Biden to swiftly end the blockage, saying it “risks emboldening Israel’s enemies”, and to brief lawmakers on the nature of the policy reviews.
“OUR LEVERAGE IS CLEAR”
Biden has faced pressure from some on the left and condemnation from the critics on the right who say Biden has moderated his support for an essential Mideast ally.
“The American people support Israel overwhelmingly,” said South Dakota senator John Thune, who pushed a resolution condemning Biden’s decision.
“And they also believe that Israel needs to do what is necessary, and if that includes going into Rafah to root out the Hamas threat, then that is necessary for their very survival.”
Former president Donald Trump, entering a New York courthouse for a criminal trial criticised Biden as well, saying on Thursday that “what Biden is doing with respect to Israel is disgraceful”.
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee added: “If any Jewish person voted for Joe Biden, they should be ashamed of themselves. He’s totally abandoned Israel.”
Independent senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a Biden ally, said in a statement the pause on big bombs must be a “first step”.
“Our leverage is clear,” Sanders said. “Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. We can no longer be complicit in Netanyahu’s horrific war against the Palestinian people.”
The State Department is separately considering whether to approve the continued transfer of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which place precision guidance systems onto bombs, to Israel, but the review did not pertain to imminent shipments.
Israel has ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from the city. Israeli forces have also carried out what it describes as “targeted strikes” on the eastern part of Rafah.
On Tuesday, Israeli troops seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing, a critical conduit for the flow of humanitarian aid along the Gaza-Egypt border, making it all but impossible to deliver life-saving aid, says the UN.
