An Israeli official told NBC News there is deep frustration in the Israeli government over the decision by the Biden Administration to halt an arms shipment destined for Israel.
The official added that tensions had already been running high after Israel felt the US allowed it to be blindsided by Hamas’ announcement earlier this week that it was accepting a version of a cease-fire proposal that was unknown to Israel beforehand.
A senior US administration official confirmed to the Associated Press on Tuesday that the US paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
At the same time, Axios reported that Israeli officials alleged that the Biden administration knew about the changes made to the ceasefire-prisoner swap deal offered by Egypt and Qatar to Hamas, but failed to inform Israel of the changes before Hamas announced that it had "accepted" a ceasefire.
The report quoted a senior US official as denying the reports, claiming, "American diplomats have been engaged with Israeli counterparts. There have been no surprises." He also described the process as "extremely difficult."
According to the official, the US believes that Israel has been negotiating in good faith and that the April offer was "the most forward-leaning proposal to date. To secure a ceasefire, Hamas simply needs to release hostages. It's all mapped out."