Pause in arms to Israel over Rafah offensive reverberates on Hill

The Biden administration’s pause in a shipment of high-payload munitions to Israel reverberated through Capitol Hill on Wednesday, with Democrats largely backing the move as necessary to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to hold off on military actions in the Gaza Strip and Republicans warning Iran might conclude U.S. backing of Israel is no longer ironclad.

The administration last week “paused” one shipment of near-term assistance consisting of 3,500 bombs weighing 2,000 pounds and 500 pounds, said a U.S. official, who was not authorized to be quoted. It was...