US freezes delivery of bulldozers to Israel over home demolitions in Gaza

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.

The Israeli paper added that the freeze came at a time when Israel was in desperate need of the bulldozers, especially after the equipment had undergone maintenance.

According to the report, the Israeli army has also been engaged in ground operations in southern Lebanon for over a month, requiring additional D9 bulldozers for use in the region.

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, which had purchased approximately 1,300 bombs from Boeing. 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 a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 despite a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire. The onslaught has killed over 43,600 victims and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.

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