The US has paused a shipment of bombs to Israel - saying it has not addressed Washington's concerns about a major ground operation in Rafah.

The events in Rafah are unfolding as ceasefire negotiations - brokered by Qatar and Egypt - are being held in Cairo. Israel's Prime Minister says the proposal Hamas has agreed to, falls short of Israel's demands.

Hamas says if Israel's military aggression continues in Rafah, there will be no ceasefire deal.
The senior spokesperson for Hamas, Osama Hamdan, says it's now up to Israel whether or not a deal goes through.

Al Jazeera's Mohammed Jamjoom has the latest from the Jordanian capital, Amman.

The reported decision by the Biden administration to pause a shipment of US weapons to Israel is a “very significant move”, according to Amir Oren, a journalist with the Haaretz newspaper.
With the US saying it opposes a major Israeli assault on Rafah, which started on Tuesday, Oren told Al Jazeera that the reported move was an act of “deterrence” by the US.

“Biden had to show Netanyahu that he’s serious,” Oren said.
When asked if the US move was purely symbolic given it would not prevent the Israeli assault on Rafah, Oren said, “No battle is the very last one.”

“[Israel] must replenish its stock in order to prepare for Lebanon for instance, or for another Iranian contingency,” he told Al Jazeera. “So [pausing weapons transfers] doesn’t have to do only with what is happening tomorrow, you must think about next week and next year.”
The Biden administration has faced sharp criticism over its policy of arming Israel, which critics say violates US laws banning military aid and weapon sales to countries engaged in rights abuses.

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