US pauses some weapons to Israel as battles rage around Rafah

A Palestinian man who was seriously wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is brought to the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Picture: AP Photo/Ramez Habboub

Hamas said it was battling Israeli troops on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip's crowded southern city of Rafah on Wednesday after a US official said Washington had halted a shipment of powerful bombs that Israel could use in a full-scale assault.

The United States, which is seeking to stave off an Israeli invasion of Rafah, said it believes a revised Hamas ceasefire proposal may lead to a breakthrough in an impasse in negotiations, with talks resuming in Cairo on Wednesday.