On May 28, the U.S. State Department announced a “temporary pause” in its military aid to Israel, a move that immediately triggered a sharp escalation in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza. Within hours, the Israeli military launched 150 strikes in a single day—the highest daily toll since the war began in October—targeting what it described as “terrorist infrastructure” in Rafah, despite warnings from humanitarian groups that the operation would exacerbate the already catastrophic food and medical shortages in the region.
The ceasefire announcement, framed by U.S. Officials as a response to Israel’s refusal to accept a proposed hostage exchange deal brokered by Qatar and Egypt, was met with skepticism in Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office dismissed the pause as “unilateral” and “counterproductive,” while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the military to “accelerate operations” in Gaza’s southern districts. A senior Israeli military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Haaretz that the strikes were designed to “demonstrate resolve” after what was perceived as a U.S. Attempt to “dictate terms” during active negotiations.
The timing of the U.S. Move coincides with mounting international pressure over Israel’s handling of the Rafah offensive, where over 1.5 million Palestinians have been displaced since January. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) warned on May 27 that its warehouses in Rafah were being systematically targeted, leaving aid workers with less than 48 hours of food reserves for the entire population. The U.S. State Department, in a statement, cited “growing concerns over civilian casualties” as the primary reason for the pause, though it stopped short of linking the decision to broader diplomatic efforts to end the war.
Israel’s response was immediate and aggressive. By May 29, the Israeli Air Force had conducted airstrikes on multiple UNRWA facilities, including a logistics hub in Rafah City, which the military claimed housed “Hezbollah-affiliated operatives.” The strikes followed a pattern observed since December, when Israel began targeting aid convoys under the pretext of “dual-use” infrastructure. Human Rights Watch documented at least 12 such incidents in the past three months, all of which resulted in the destruction of critical supply chains. “What we have is not a pause—it’s a tactical adjustment,” said Omar Shakir, Israel-Palestine director at HRW. “The message to the world is clear: Israel will not be constrained by humanitarian concerns or diplomatic pressure.”
The U.S. Pause also exposed deep divisions within the Biden administration. While Secretary of State Antony Blinken framed the move as a “good faith effort” to encourage Israel to engage in negotiations, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan privately acknowledged to congressional staff that the administration had “no leverage” over Netanyahu’s government. A leaked internal memo from the Pentagon, obtained by The New York Times, revealed that military leaders had advised against the pause, arguing it would embolden Hamas without yielding any tangible concessions. “We’re playing a game of chicken with no off-ramp,” one unnamed official told reporters.
In Gaza, the humanitarian toll continued to rise. Doctors Without Borders reported that at least 47 medical personnel had been killed in the past week alone, with hospitals in Rafah operating at less than 10% capacity due to fuel shortages. The World Health Organization issued an emergency alert on May 28, stating that the destruction of water treatment plants in Khan Younis had contaminated the region’s sole remaining water source, putting 1.2 million people at risk of cholera. Israeli officials, however, maintained that the strikes were “precision operations” aimed at “degrading Hamas’s command structure,” despite no public evidence of military targets being hit.
The ceasefire announcement also reignited tensions with Iran, which has been accused of supplying drones and missiles to both Hamas and Hezbollah. On May 29, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) released a statement threatening “proportional retaliation” for what it called “American complicity in genocide.” The IRGC’s Quds Force, led by General Esmail Qaani, had already escalated attacks on U.S. Forces in Syria and Iraq in recent weeks, raising fears of a broader regional conflict. A U.S. Central Command spokesperson declined to comment on the IRGC’s statement but confirmed that “additional security measures” had been implemented in the Middle East.
As of May 29, no further details had been provided on the duration of the U.S. Pause, nor were there indications that Israel had agreed to any conditions beyond the initial hostage exchange proposal. Netanyahu’s office reiterated that Israel would continue its military operations “without interruption,” while Hamas, through its political bureau in Qatar, stated that it remained “open to dialogue” but would not engage in “false negotiations” that did not include a full ceasefire. The next scheduled round of indirect talks, mediated by Egypt, was set for June 2, though Israeli officials had already signaled they would not attend unless the U.S. Resumed full aid deliveries.
