US freezes delivery of bulldozers to Israel over Gaza home demolitions: report

JERUSALEM (AA) – The US has frozen the delivery of 130 bulldozers to Israel amid home demolitions in the Gaza Strip, Israeli reported said on Sunday.

According to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli Defense Ministry signed a major contract to purchase around 130 D9 bulldozers from US machinery maker Caterpillar.

The newspaper, citing Israeli security sources, said the US recently froze the deal due to the use of these bulldozers to demolish homes in Gaza, which has sparked widespread criticism in the US.

The sources claimed that Israel had already paid for the bulldozers and was awaiting export approval from the US State Department.

According to the report, the Israeli army engaged in ground operations in southern Lebanon for over a month requires additional D9 bulldozers.

The Israeli newspaper said the freeze of the bulldozer shipment has delayed the completion of Israel’s plans to create a buffer zone between Gaza and the Negev in southern Israel, which would include flattening hundreds of Palestinian buildings and agricultural areas along the Gaza border.

According to the daily, Washington has also frozen the delivery of hundreds of heavy bombs to the Israeli army. These bombs weigh nearly a ton each. The US cited concerns that they could be used to harm civilians in Gaza.

While half of the heavy bomb shipment was eventually delivered, the other half remains stuck in US storage facilities, it added.

Israel has continued its war on Gaza despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire. It has killed over 43,600 Palestinians in Gaza and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave.