Washington – Republican President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he has instructed the US military to release a hold imposed by Democratic former President Joe Biden on the supply of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had released the bombs, saying “We released them. We released them today. And they’ll have them. They paid for them and they’ve been waiting for them for a long time. They’ve been in storage.”
Biden had put the hold on the delivery of the bombs due to concern over the impact they could have on the civilian population, particularly in Gaza’s Rafah, during Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave.
The 2,000-pound bombs are capable of ripping through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius. The Biden administration had sent thousands of these bombs to Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian Hamas militants from Gaza, but had put a hold on one shipment.
Trump and Biden have been strong supporters of US ally Israel, even as Washington has come under criticism from human rights advocates over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from Israel’s military assault.
A Gaza ceasefire went into effect a week ago and has led to the release of some Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.