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Biden admits to using American weapons to kill civilians in Gaza

US President Joe Biden's interview with CNN sparked widespread reactions, as Biden admitted during the interview that civilians were killed in Gaza by American bombs used by the Israeli army, warning that the United States would stop delivering to its ally Israel some types of weapons, especially specific types of weapons. Bombs and artillery shells, in the event that Tel Aviv launches a large-scale ground attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. These statements were met with criticism from Democrats and Republicans who support Tel Aviv in Congress, and from Jewish organizations supporting it. On the other hand, voices rose in support of Biden's decision, and some Democrats praised his unprecedented step since the start of Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" and the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip. Biden said during the interview: “Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of those bombs with which they target population centers. This is bad. I made it clear that if they go to Rafah, I will not supply weapons that have been used historically to deal with cities.” Biden explained during the interview that while the United States will continue to provide defensive weapons to Israel, including the Iron Dome air defense system, other shipments will stop in the event of a major ground invasion of Rafah. This comes after the US President's decision to stop shipping 3,500 bombs to Israel due to possible Israeli operations in Rafah without a plan for civilians there. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller announced that Washington is reviewing further arms shipments to Israel after suspending an aid shipment, as Washington continues to be concerned about a possible Israeli attack on Rafah. Miller stated during a press briefing that he also expects the State Department to send, in the coming days, its report to Congress on whether Israel has used weapons provided by Washington in line with international humanitarian law. Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, confirmed that President Biden's decision to suspend the shipment of high explosive munitions to Israel was taken in the context of Israel's plans to launch an attack in Rafah, which Washington opposes, without new guarantees for the protection of civilians. Austin added during a session in the Senate: “We were very clear... from the beginning that Israel should not launch a major attack in Rafah without placing civilians in the vicinity of that battle and protecting them. And again, after our assessment of the situation, we suspended one shipment of heavy-duty munitions.” "Explosion." He continued: "We have not made a final decision on how to proceed with this shipment." In contrast, Israeli officials privately expressed “deep frustration” to US officials about the halt in shipments, as well as US briefings about the decision, according to a source familiar with the matter. The American President’s announcement of his willingness to link American weapons to Israel’s actions represents a turning point in the Israeli war that has been ongoing on the Gaza Strip for 7 months, and a blatant acknowledgment of the United States’ role in that war through the American bombs that were used to annihilate civilians in Gaza. The past few months have witnessed the US President being subjected to extraordinary pressure, including from members of his party, to limit arms shipments amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but Biden was resisting those calls, and continued his strong support for Israel in its war on the people of Gaza. However, the invasion of Rafah, the city in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than a million Palestinian civilians are seeking refuge, appears to have changed President Biden's calculations. Biden's public linking of US arms shipments to Israel's behavior may widen the rift between him and Netanyahu, with whom he spoke by phone last Monday. That conversation came at a time when Israel ordered the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians from Rafah and launched strikes near the city's border areas.