Does the US decision to pause a bomb shipment to Israel because of concerns over its incursion into Rafah mark a U-turn in Washington's stance on the war in Gaza?

A US spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Israel hasn’t “fully addressed” its concerns over the needs of around 1 million civilians sheltering in Gaza’s southernmost city.

 Many people have fled there because of Israel’s assault on other parts of the country, which it launched in retaliation for the October 7 attacks, in which 1200 people died. Around 35,000 Palestinians are thought to have lost their lives in the conflict.

 David Wearing is a lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sussex and an expert on UK foreign relations in the Middle East.

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