“If they go into Rafah, then I’m not going to deliver the weapons that were used (…) to take out the cities,” Biden said in a televised interview with CNN.
“We will not deliver weapons and artillery shells that [šādi] have been used.”
The threat to cut off supplies of artillery shells comes after the United States confirmed on Tuesday that it had halted shipments of bombs to Israel last week over fears of a planned invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinian civilians have taken refuge.
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a result of these bombs and other techniques they (Israel) use to attack population centers,” Biden said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised an invasion of Rafah as part of a campaign to eliminate the militant group Hamas following the October 7 attack.
Israel sent tanks to Rafah and seized a border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, but the White House said earlier that Israel had promised a “limited operation”.
Asked about the ongoing Israeli action in Rafah, Biden said the Israeli army “has not entered the population centers.”
“What they did happened right at the border and creates problems for Egypt,” Biden said.
The US president vowed that Washington would “continue to ensure that Israel is safe in terms of the Iron Dome and its ability to respond to attacks.”
Tags: President Joe Biden warns halting supplies artillery shells Israel attacks Rafah
