Israel received over 2,000 powerful bombs from United States
Illustrative photo: Israeli army (getty images)
The United States has supplied Israel with over 1,800 Mark 84 bombs and approximately 500 Mark 82 bombs, which are free-falling but can be made into precision weapons, according to NBC.
Two high-ranking officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden said that the bombs are part of an arms package approved for Israel many years ago but are only being fulfilled now.
Mark 84 and 82 are free-falling bombs that can be converted into precision ones using a guidance kit provided by the United States to Israel earlier.
"These are the bombs that can destroy entire blocks," one official said about MK84.
The delivery comes after US representatives stated that Israel has provided assurances to Washington regarding the use of American weapons in accordance with the laws of war.
Israel receives $3.8 billion in military aid annually from the United States, but criticism has been mounting over Washington's continued supply of arms to Israel amid reports of increasing civilian casualties.
Divergence between the US and Israel on the advance on Rafah
The Israeli military plans to launch a ground invasion into the city of Rafah near the border with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. This is the last populated area under the control of the Palestinian Hamas movement.
During a recent conversation with Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown said that the United States will not tolerate mass casualties among civilians in Rafah, considering the number of civilian casualties in the northern and central parts of the Gaza Strip.
Brown summarized Washington's proposal, which includes protecting the border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt using technological advancements to prevent arms smuggling through the Philadelphia Corridor, isolating the city of Rafah and conducting targeted raids, as well as establishing a joint command center to coordinate targeted operations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces are preparing to evacuate over a million Palestinian civilians from Rafah.
Four-day protests demanding the resignation of the government have begun in Israel. Demonstrators are calling for early elections.
