The USA is resuming deliveries to Israel of the 230-kilo bombs that have been held back since May, according to American media citing official sources.
The so-called Mark 82 bombs are expected to arrive in Israel within the next few weeks, writes The Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper, it involves 1,700 bombs.
Deliveries of the more powerful Mark 84, which weighs around 900 kilos, are still on hold.
The White House withdrew the deliveries in May following increased concerns about the number of civilian casualties as a result of Israel's warfare in Gaza, not least due to the threat of a major Israeli offensive against the densely populated Rafah. The decision is said to have further strained the already tense relationship between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the White House, Israel has since been more precise in its bombings of Gaza, writes The Washington Post.
In Gaza's densely populated areas, the difference in destruction between a 230-kilo and a 900-kilo bomb is negligible. Both cause enormous destruction and civilian casualties, says Janet Abou-Elias at the US-based think tank Center for International Policy to the newspaper.
