US Defence Secy Austin confirms pause on shipment of "high-payload munitions" to Israel

Amid the ongoing ground offensive in Rafah United States Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed on Wednesday that the US is pausing a shipment of highpayload munitions to Israel as the operation has no plan for the residing civilians in the region reported CNNWere going to continue to do whats necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself but that said we are currently reviewing some nearterm security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah Defence Secretary Austin said at a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearingThe remarks of Austin come amid mounting airstrikes and at a time when the Israeli Prime Ministers Office has also reaffirmed the continuation of military operations in Rafah to exert military pressure on HamasWeve been very clear that Israel shouldnt launch a major attack into Rafah without accounting for and protecting the civilians that are in that battlespace Austin said according to CNNAustin also stressed that the weapons shipment was not included in the supplemental budget package that Congress just approved which contained lethal aid for both Israel and UkraineThe US has not made a final determination about what will happen with the arms shipment Austin statedMeanwhile protesters from Code Pink interrupted Austin in the middle of his response shouting Free Palestine before they were taken from the room as per CNNFurther as the military operation by Israel in Rafah continues the United Nations on Wednesday too voiced alarm Wednesday over the dire humanitarian situation in GazaUN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in an operational update according to CNN has said that challenges persist because supplies for relief efforts are unable to pass through important crossings into the strip as fighting continuesDujarric further stated that it is the need of the hour for incoming supplies including fuel to keep coming in for sustained humanitarian efforts He added that the situation in Gaza remains fragile as key medical facilities are at risk of becoming totally inaccessible or inoperable amid the ongoing IsraelHamas warDecrying Israels ground offensive in Rafah the United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres has also said that the Rafah offensive would be a strategic mistakeAn assault on Rafah would be a strategic mistake a political calamity amp a humanitarian nightmare Guterres said in a video posted on X on Tuesday as he made an appeal to the international community to help avert the ongoing conflictI appeal to all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to help avert even more tragedy Guterres had said adding that it is high time for a deal to be secured and bring an end to the warThe tensions escalated with multiple airstrikes on Rafah early Tuesday resulting in casualties and injuries as reported by the Palestinian Civil DefencePalestinian official news agency WAFA confirmed eight deaths in two separate attacks on Rafah although the precise timeline remains unclear Rafahs Kuwait hospital reported receiving 11 deceased individuals according to a Facebook post in the early hours of Tuesday local timeThe Israel Defense Forces IDF stated their ongoing targeted strikes against Hamas terror targets in eastern RafahThe crossing was one of the primary routes for supplies into the besieged Gaza Strip In midDecember Israeli authorities announced its reopening in response to rising US pressure and a severe humanitarian situation in GazaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever