What Kind of Weapons Did Biden Freeze to Israel?

U.S. officials have halted a significant arms shipment to Israel over concerns about the potential implications of the large-scale military operation Israeli forces are preparing to undertake in Rafah, a densely populated city in southern Gaza that's sheltering more than a million Palestinians.

Last week, in response to the Israeli government's persistence that it would go ahead with the Rafah offensive regardless of whether Washington was on board, the Pentagon confirmed that the Biden administration paused the delivery of about 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and another 1,700 smaller 500-pound bombs.

Both those weapons have been widely used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza—often to break up the tunnel network used by Hamas that runs under the Strip, and not without collateral damage.

"Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers," Biden said during a CNN interview Wednesday when asked whether the 2,000-pound bombs sent to Israel have killed noncombatants.

"I made it clear that if they enter Rafah—and they haven't entered Rafah yet—if they do, I will not supply the weapons that have historically been used to address the situation in Rafah and other cities."

Those comments sparked fierce backlash both in Israel and among supporters of Israel in the U.S., who argue that Biden is effectively blockading its ally in a time of war.

The Biden administration has strongly backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration in its campaign against Hamas, sparked by the militant group's October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel.

A recent report from an independent task force for the U.S. State and Defense Departments indicated that 300,000 munitions had been used in Gaza during the first six months of the conflict.

In the months since, the U.S. had accelerated the transfer of weapons to its ally even as Israel's offensive in Gaza has left much of the Strip in ruins and killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to The Associated Press citing the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.

From Vietnam to Gaza

The weapon shipment halted by the U.S. included two types of bombs historically used in global conflicts since the 1950s—the Mark 84 or BLU-117 bombs, the largest in the Mark 80 series, and the Mark 82 bombs, smaller weapons designed for broader impact. The bombs in question were used during the Vietnam War, resulting in significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

Since the conflict began in October 2023, Israel has been deploying these types of bombs without officially confirming their use. The bombs have primarily targeted Hamas' extensive tunnel network in Gaza.

However, experts have noted that their deployment has also resulted in the deaths of hundreds in densely populated areas.

The Mark 84 is known for creating 50-foot wide craters and can penetrate up to 15 inches of metal. The 15-foot steel-cased bombs generate a supersonic wave of pressure upon detonation, features that make them particularly devastating in urban settings like Rafah.

The Mark 82, suited for lower altitude release, was notably used during the Persian Gulf War to target Iraqi military infrastructure. Its design accommodates various modifications, including guidance kits that enhance accuracy and reduce collateral damage compared with its unguided version.

The use of these bombs has not been without international scrutiny, long before October 7. In the Iraq War and subsequent conflicts in the Middle East, both bombs were deployed in urban areas, leading to questions over the ethical implications and necessity of using such powerful weapons in densely populated sites.

Human rights organizations have frequently cited instances where the use of Mark 84 and Mark 82 bombs resulted in civilian casualties. Their lethality in densely populated areas led the U.N. Independent Commission of Inquiry investigating the 2014 Gaza War to warn that the weapon likely constitutes a violation of the prohibition on indiscriminate attacks.

On Monday, the IDF announced the beginning of "targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip."

Shortly before this announcement, the IDF called for a "temporary evacuation" of civilians in Rafah. Around the same time, Hamas released a statement claiming they had reached a new ceasefire agreement following negotiations with Qatar and Egypt.

Following Hamas' announcement, Netanyahu stated that Israel would continue its operations in Rafah. A spokesperson for Netanyahu's office confirmed to Newsweek that, despite the Hamas proposal not meeting Israel's requirements, Israel would send a delegation to the mediators to fully explore the possibility of reaching an agreement on terms acceptable to Israel.