The Biden administration suspended a shipment of US-made munitions to Israel last week, two Israeli officials told the US media outlet Axios on Sunday, May 5. This is the first time Washington has blocked an arms shipment to Tel Aviv since the start of the conflict.

A few days earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had told Netanyahu that a “major military operation” at Rafah would lead the US to publicly oppose it, and would have a negative impact on US-Israeli relations. Other members of the Biden administration, such as advisors John Kirby and Jake Sullivan, have since followed suit.

According to these two officials, the incident raised serious concerns within the Israeli government and prompted officials to scramble to understand why the shipment had been detained.

In February, the Biden administration asked Israel to guarantee that US-made weapons were used by the Israeli Army in Gaza in compliance with international law. Israel provided a signed letter of assurance in March.