White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that "the United States temporarily halted only one shipment of ammunition to Israel, and there will not be a complete stop to the supply of shells," according to TASS. She stated in remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One while heading to San Francisco: "It is a pause. We are talking about a temporary halt to a specific delivery." She emphasized that "this is a pause, not a cessation of arms supplies."
Additionally, she noted that the United States "is not currently registering any military operations in Rafah, but it intends to clearly express its concern about the possibility of a large-scale invasion of the city." The press secretary did not specify how long this pause would last. She said, "The United States has not yet made a final decision regarding the future of the ammunition shipment" that has been suspended. She added, "We have not yet reached a final decision on how to deal with this shipment."
Moreover, Karine Jean-Pierre stated, "The United States has offered Israel options to combat Hamas as an alternative to a large-scale military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza." She added, "We certainly understand the importance of pursuing Hamas militants, which we fully support Israel in, but we want to see a comprehensive plan." She continued, "That is what we are discussing. We have offered Israel a number of alternatives on how to do this and how to act strategically and pursue these Hamas fighters, but I will not go into details."
