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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

Does Israel need more US arms for a Rafah offensive?

Israeli troops with military vehicles gathering in southern Israel near the Gaza border, 9 May 2024
Israeli troops gathering in southern Israel near the Gaza border on Thursday.
Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA

The volume of US military aid to Israel since 7 October last year suggests the intensity of the assault on Gaza would not have been possible without the continued supply of American bombs, shells and other munitions, some of which the US president, Joe Biden, is now threatening to halt after seven months of the fighting.

Precise figures are hard to come by, partly because the US is careful to keep shipments below disclosable limits and can rely on old congressional approvals, sometimes dating back many years, to send arms without the need for fresh authorisation. But even the limited disclosure reveals their significance.

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