Israel receives US supply of Mk-84 bombs: Rubio’s visit and raids in Gaza

The recent delivery of munitions marks a further strengthening of the alliance between Israel and the US, while tensions in Gaza and international pressure on the reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave continue

Israel received overnight a supply of Mk-84 bombs from the United States, recently unblocked by the Trump administration. The Israeli Defence Ministry confirmed the news, reported by the Times of Israel, to coincide with the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Delivery of the Mk-84 bombs, approximately 900 kg ammunition, had been suspended last May by the Biden administration in response to Israeli military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. ‘This supply represents a significant asset for the Israeli Air Force and Israel Defence Forces (IDF), further confirming the strong alliance between Israel and the US,’ said Defence Minister Israel Katz.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces conducted an air raid in the south of the Gaza Strip, where they hit armed men who were approaching Israeli troops. According to Palestinian sources and al-Jazeera, two Hamas police officers were killed in the attack, while a third was wounded. The raid was carried out with a drone in the al-Shawka area, east of Rafah, where the officers were delivering humanitarian aid.

Marco Rubio’s visit, the first stop on a Middle East tour that will also touch Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, focuses on President Trump’s proposal to take control of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Egypt is pressurising Hamas to agree not to participate in overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza, which was devastated by recent Israeli bombings.

Egyptian sources report that Cairo is working with other Arab countries to present an alternative initiative to the US plan for Gaza, ahead of the Arab summit scheduled for later this month. The Egyptian plan envisages the creation of a temporary reconstruction commission, without the participation of Hamas, a critical node also for the future of relations between the Palestinian Authority and the enclave.

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