The Biden administration is continuing to send weapons to Israel despite earlier threats to stop arms shipments in the event of a full-scale invasion of the Gazan city of Rafah, according to officials familiar with the shipments.
Shipments heading to Israel in recent days included offensive weaponry, small arms, and defensive weapons, the officials told NBC News on Friday.
President Joe Biden had threatened to withhold weapons that would be used to attack Rafah amid cease-fire talks pushed by the U.S.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Thursday that Israel would "fight with our fingernails" to eliminate Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks, and would fight with or without U.S. backing.
During an interview with TV reality star "Dr. Phil" McGraw, Netanyahu said that he and Biden have had agreements and disagreements over the years that they've been able to overcome, but meanwhile, Israel will do what it needs to protect itself.
"That means we will defeat Hamas, including in Rafah," Netanyahu said. "We have no other choice."
The White House also drew criticism from congressional Republicans after Biden's threat to withhold weapons, with a senior administration official insisting that "our actions have been done consistent with the law."
"This action doesn’t involve any failure to spend, or even delay in spending, funds appropriated by Congress," the official said. "We have been clear that every last cent of those funds will be spent consistent with legal obligations, including with respect to the recently passed supplemental."
The cease-fire talks, meanwhile, have turned "into a mess," according to a senior Arab negotiator, with delegations for Israel and Hamas leaving Cairo without reaching a deal.
The negotiator added that "everything collapsed" after Israel entered Rafah earlier this week.
The source further said that it was a "bad day" for CIA Director William Burns when he tried to settle an agreement with the Israelis.
NBC News reported Friday that Israeli forces have continued with their bombing and ground operations in Rafah, and that Israeli tanks were operating near the Rafah crossing on the main that divides the city.
According to Israel, Hamas militants are hiding in Rafah. However, humanitarian groups point out that the city is crowded with refugees and that fuel and food supplies were running out even before the Israelis started their attack.
U.N. agencies also warned that aid will run out in days as the southern Rafah crossing bordering Egypt remains closed.
The Israeli military insisted that dozens of humanitarian aid trucks came into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing earlier Thursday, but the Palestinian Crossings Authority said the "crossings are still closed and under the control" of Israel.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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