US Delays Sale of Thousands of Precision-Guided Weapons to Israel – Reports
IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States has put off selling thousands of precision-guided weapons to Israel amid growing tensions in the Gaza Strip, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.Washington was expected to sell about 6,500 JDAM systems to Israel, the news outlet added in a report published on Monday. On Monday, Israel started a military operation in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the operation would disrupt the ongoing humanitarian assistance delivery to Gaza.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.
WorldIDF Launches Targeted Operation in Eastern Region of Rafah in Gaza Strip06:06 GMTOver 34,700 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
