WASHINGTON: Republican President Donald Trump said on Saturday (Jan 25) 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.
The move was widely expected.
“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,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Biden put a hold on the delivery of those 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.
One 2,000-pound bomb can rip through thick concrete and metal, creating a wide blast radius. Reuters reported last year that the Biden administration had sent thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel after the Oct 7, 2023, attack by Hamas but had put a hold on one shipment.
Washington has announced assistance for Israel worth billions of dollars since the war began.
When asked why he released the powerful bombs, Trump responded: “Because they bought them.”
Earlier on Saturday, Trump said on the Truth Social platform: “A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but have not been sent by Biden, are now on their way!”
