The US last week paused a bomb shipment for Israel over concerns it was going ahead with a major ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior US administration official says.
The shipment consisted of 1,800 2,000lb (907kg) bombs and 1,700 500lb bombs, the official told CBS News, the BBC’s media partner in the US.
Israel has not “fully addressed” US concerns over humanitarian needs of civilians in Rafah, the official says.
Israel made no immediate comment.
Overnight, there were further Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip, hours after Israeli forces backed by tanks took control of the Palestinians side of the key Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.
The Israeli bombardment was particularly intense around Rafah. Local medics said seven members of one family were killed in one strike.
Rafah has been a key entry point for aid and the only exit for people able to flee since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas last October.
The crossing remained closed on Wednesday morning, but the Israeli military said it was reopening the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, which had been closed for four days because of Hamas rocket fire.
On Monday, the Israeli military ordered tens of thousands of civilians to begin evacuating nearby eastern parts of Rafah city, ahead of what it called a “limited” operation to eliminate Hamas fighters and dismantle infrastructure.
