US paused weapons shipment to Israel amid concern over Rafah, senior US official says

Rafah's mayor says city stands on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe' as pressure builds on Israel to pull back from attack

The Biden administration paused the supply of thousands of large bombs to Israel last week in opposition to apparent moves by the Israelis to invade the Gaza city of Rafah, US officials have confirmed.

The US president, Joe Biden, has been trying to head off a full-scale assault by Israel against the southern city, where battles raged on the outskirts on Wednesday, once again displacing Palestinians.