RAFAH: Israel has shelled Rafah as US President Joe Biden offered his starkest warning yet over the conduct of its operation against Hamas, vowing to cut off arms transfers if an offensive into the southern Gaza city goes ahead, AFP reports.

Journalists reported heavy shelling in Rafah earlier today, and the Israeli military later said it was also striking “Hamas positions” further north in the centre of the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Biden warned he would stop US weapons supplies to Israel if it pushed ahead with its long-threatened Rafah ground offensive.

“If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used… to deal with the cities,” Biden said. “We’re not gonna supply the weapons and the artillery shells that have been used.”

“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs,” Biden said in his interview. “It’s just wrong.” He insisted, however, that the United States was “not walking away from Israel’s security”.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has expressed disappointment at US President Joe Biden’s threat to stop certain arms supplies to Israel if it invades the crowded Gaza city of Rafah, AFP reports.

“This is a difficult and very disappointing statement to hear from a president to whom we have been grateful since the beginning of the war,” Gilad Erdan told Israeli public broadcaster Kan radio, in Israel’s first reaction to Biden’s warning.

Erdan responded that Biden’s comments would be interpreted by Israel’s foes Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah as “something that gives them hope to succeed”.

“If Israel is restricted from entering an area as important and central as Rafah where there are thousands of terrorists, hostages and leaders of Hamas, how exactly are we supposed to achieve our goals?” he said.