Million palestinians sheltering there, most of whom are already displaced from other parts of gaza. And following developments from washington is our Us State Department correspondent tom bateman. What we know is that there was a pause as the administration has described it on one consignment of weapons from The Americans to the israelis that was put in place last week. This is on a consignment that includes a batch of 2000 pound bombs, among the most destructive munitions, Air Dropped Musicians Western Military is hard and capable of wiping out multiple buildings at the same time. Israels argument having those as it needs to attack hamas below and above ground but they have been at the heart of complaints of criticism and controversy relate raised by human Rights Groups when they have looked at the catastrophic high numbers of civilians killed by the israelis in gaza because of the Destructive Force that these weapons. The americans specifically have said that it is the past use of those munitions in gaza by israel that means they are holding back on this consignment because what The Americans are doing here is firing a warning shot across the bowels of the israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu as part of their stated position that they do not believe israel should carry out a full scale Ground Offensive into the city of rafah in gaza. The israeli Prime Minister has said that that will happen regardless of whether or not there is a Ceasefire Agreement he says to eliminate the final battalions of hamas in gaza. But what you have here is an extremely rare and significant moment where The Americans are holding back on some weapons to their key ally in the region to israel. You have to go back over a0 years to find the last time Something Like this has happened publicly in this way at least, the days of Ronald Reagan holding back some weapons to the israelis because he disagreed with parts of the way the invasion of lebanon was being carried out at that time. It is a significant moment and we heard today The Americans say they would review other Weapons Shipments to try to get into exerting pressure on the israelis. Predictably perhaps republicans in washington have laid into this. The House Speaker mike johnson and the leader of the Republican SenateMitch Mcconnell have written to President Biden to say this is daylight between the us and its key ally, israel. They want answers by the end of the week about how this was communicated and how the review is being carried out, which part of government is doing it and fundamentally if there will be an end to this pause on the Weapons Shipments. All of that being said, there is also a practical point here which is of the american assessment that israel has everything it would want anyway to carry out an invasion of rafah so it probably wouldnt make practical difference in that sense but this is much more about the pressure that it puts on Prime Minister netanyahu from the Biden Administration to try to get to that point where The Americans are trying to stop a full scale Ground Offensive on rafah. Meanwhile, the us says, no aid has yet passed through the newly reopened Kerem Shalom Aid Point and Israeli Forces remain in control of the Rafah Crossing. It comes as the Israel Defence force continues to bomb areas in and around rafah. The idf has ordered 100,000 palestinians to leave eastern parts of the city. On wednesday an israeli air strike hit a home in western rafah, killing four people and injuring children, according to gazas health ministry. I spoke a short while ago with drjohn kahler, co founder of medglobal about the humanitarian struggle in rafah. 0n on friday received and noticed it was going to be potential problems happening this weekend. 0n problems happening this weekend. On monday, when we actually left at four oclock in the morning, about a third of the way they are the un staff was notified they were encouraged to not receive. Proceed. They turned around. Another group and does continued forward but the morning, ominous. The rafah remains close. Morning, ominous. The rafah remains close. Isabella morning, ominous. The rafah remains close. Isabella said l remains close. Isabella said they would open the crossing but what is the aid of like currently so far as you are aware . It currently so far as you are aware . , currently so far as you are aware . Currently so far as you are aware . ,. ,. , currently so far as you are aware . ,. , aware . It has stopped as far as im aware aware . It has stopped as far as im aware. They aware . It has stopped as far as im aware. They said aware . It has stopped as far as im aware. They said it aware . It has stopped as far as im aware. They said it would i im aware. They said it would be opened again for aid trucks, not for humanitarians. Supposedly several fuel trucks tried to go through today but they were stopped. Currently there is no aid flowing into gaza. ,. , there is no aid flowing into gaza. ,. ,. ,. , gaza. No aid flowing in and humanitarian gaza. No aid flowing in and humanitarian brokers gaza. No aid flowing in and l humanitarian brokers cannot gaza. No aid flowing in and humanitarian brokers cannot get in, the teams that are there i pulling many workers out to other parts of gaza for the plumbers longer can be a humanitarian operation in rafah . ,. ,. , , rafah . There are national ngos. We have a rafah . There are national ngos. We have a team rafah . There are national ngos. We have a Team Underground we have a Team Underground there for five years. We along with other major ngos have cut supplies. If things were stopped completely, i would estimate that would be if three orfour estimate that would be if three or four weeks of supplies cashed since the humanitarian supplies have come back and forth it is not going to be stopped completely for short. It will be some trucks coming in but the issue will be whether or not to build anything to scale. But its always a problem. Anything to scale. But its always a problem. This current conflict is always a problem. This current conflict is more always a problem. This current conflict is more than always a problem. This current conflict is more than seven conflict is more than seven months old was a people have been deprived of adequate food, water, medicalsupplies for water, medical supplies for that length water, medicalsupplies for that length of time. Given what you are seeing, how much longer can be people of gaza hold on . That is an excellent question because we are at a Tipping Point. Six two eight months of Food Preparation is when symptoms of malnutrition and starvation begin to take effect for the people can go a long time without food. Children will begin to slow signs of inflammatory changes, inability to fight off infections. We are at a critical Tipping Point and if things dont get better, in regards to aid and nutrition, we will begin to see the dismount of both directly related such as death to starvation and Organ Failure and indirectly related to the ability to fight off infections with mothers giving birth to babies that are premature. For those very babies that are premature. For those very small children, many of whom have spent a quarter half, all of their lives in this current situation. What is the long term damage like to them for those that do survive . It is difficult to predict. The weight gain will come back as soon as calories are back. The effect on brain and development you get from both the Emotional Stress that they have been jointly and also from the Deprivation Notjust calories but nutrients also. You can get calories just from carbohydrates but babies and mothers are not getting the micronutrients they need to supply for adequate brain growth. These are problems that will not show up probably sometime for a decade but these are problems you will see come back later on in their life with learning problems, Attention Problems and inability to concentrate and things like that. Inability to concentrate and things like that. You have a lot of experience things like that. You have a lot of experience working. Things like that. You have a j lot of experience working in conflict zones. We see signs of imminent it looks like Drought Invasion into rafah force of have you ever encountered a situation like this before were neither aid or aid workers can get into an area . Mat neither aid or aid workers can get into an area . Get into an area . Not even close. Get into an area . Not even close i get into an area . Not even close. I thought get into an area . Not even close. Ithought i get into an area . Not even close. I thought i was get into an area . Not even close. I thought i was prepared for it, been in haiti many times, was there during the earthquake, been in yemen during the siege, i thought i would be prepared for this, i was loaded near prepared for this, by far the crosses i have personally seen and probably the worst humanitarian crisis since world war ii. The worst humanitarian crisis since world war ii. Thank you very much since world war ii. Thank you very much for since world war ii. Thank you very much for speaking since world war ii. Thank you very much for speaking to since world war ii. Thank you very much for speaking to us | since world war ii. Thank you i very much for speaking to us on bbc news. Very much for speaking to us on bbc newe very much for speaking to us on bbc news. , ~ i. , bbc news. Thank you so much for havin bbc news. Thank you so much for having me earlier, i spoke to tal heinrich, a spokeperson for Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu. Just to pick up on what dr kayler of medglobal said there about having never seen a humanitarian crisis as bad as is in gaza now. Aid agencies have told us that no aid has gone into gaza for the last two days, nothing through that kerem shalom was re opened but no aid crossed in. When Will Israel Permit Aid to flow again . Lets set the record straight here. Since the beginning of the war, smokers alleged against us on 7 october more than halfi million tons of humanitarian aid have crossed into gaza. Israel facilitated the insertion of this aid, more than 400,000 tons of food, hundreds of her trucks as you know and youve reported, have come in daily. In recent days hamas fired multiple times if im not wrong at least three or four times at the kerem shalom Border Crossing, firing from humanitarian aid areas and the eastern part of rafah to that Border Crossing which is the main artery from which the trucks are coming in. Hamas is trying to create a humanitarian crisis in gaza, not only stealing the aid to feed their own war machine, not only stealing the aid to sell the food, tenfold the price of the market, they are also firing at the aid routs including 80 roots where aid is transported from south to the northern parts of gaza. Sorry, to bring it back to the question i asked, which is when will israel allow that age to come i. Naga|n . There is a humanitarian crisis there. Weve had many descriptions of that so im asking when that will happen again. Kerem shalom is not the only droughts. Kerem shalom is not the only drou~hts. , kerem shalom is not the only droughts droughts. Yes but there was nothin droughts. Yes but there was nothing coming droughts. Yes but there was nothing coming through droughts. Yes but there was i nothing coming through rafah droughts. Yes but there was nothing coming through rafah at the moment. Crosstalk. When will that be . Soon enough which we will announce but rafah will be operational, i guarantee it. You cant put a timeframe on that. To bring it to the talks in cairo that are ongoing. In the coming days. To bring it the talks in cairo that are ongoing to agree on some sort of pause in the fighting get the hostages out and get aid into rafah and all of gaza as it is needed as weve been discussing, have you any update for us on how those talks are progressing . Bringing our hostages are back home is the top priority, we want all of our people back, all 132. As you know when time has run out for 38 over hostages as far as we know. Weve been exerting Military Pressure on hamas and butorac pressure because as weve seen in november this is the only way to achieving the framework that will see the release of hostages and weve working and i know bbc has covered it tirelessly not only us but also the Us Administration and other International Media to try to bring another agreement that will see the release of the remaining hostages. But hamas has rejected our office again and again. Crosstalk. Sorry to trouble because i dont have a lot of time. I want to get to the point of this because the talks are ongoing and hamas has accepted the current proposal so i am asking what the israelis. That is a cheap pr hamas trick but unfortunately many Media Outlets have fell for. Crosstalk. Has not accepted the offer. Whats the israeli decision . There is a delegation in cairo and hamas says crosstalk. Israel has put a generous because on table, the words of secretary blinken. A very generous proposal hamas rejected and they tried to turn the on israel and in a cheap pr trick to say they accepted a ceasefire but these were not the details discussed. Its like saying i hereby accept the nomination to become the next Un Average General but nobody is offering that. Crosstalk. We are moving off topic. To bring it back to what id like to get the Prime Ministers response to the announcement from President Biden to hold back on the shipment of bombs to israel, big 2000 lbs bombs what is the Prime Ministers response to that . I cant speak to the specific reports, i will hinder to your reporter before because tourism and what he did have a certain way to address such issues between close allies and crosstalk. President biden has said that himself. The Prime Minister said in recent days and spoke with the Holocaust Remembrance Day in israel, israel will fight hamas even if we have to fight them without fingernails. We achieve all of our War Objectives which include bringing hostages back home, dismantling hamass military and government capabilities and ensuring gaza will not oppose the Terror Threat as again but its important to understand as well that our War Objectives must be defined as a nation on 7 october have been supported from day one today 215 by united states, its no secret there are some differences crosstalk. But we discuss them in different channels. You dont think withholding the bombs will make a difference to the israeli war effort . We know that President Biden is committed to the security of israel and so is the us congress and american people, we see it in polls and the recent poll that i saw before going on air was more than 70 of americans support israel in rafah. We are almost out of time but on that point, President Biden said he withheld the bombs to try to deter Prime Minister netanyahu from a Ground Invasion into rafah and from what youre saying it is not a Deterrent Withholding of bombs the Prime Minister still plans to go into rafah with the Ground Invasion. I can tell you that at the moment and as you know the past 2a hours or so weve been focusing on the eastern part of rafah, and a precise Toad Operation weve had intelligence that the Rafah Crossing was being used for terror purposes. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Lets look at another story making news. Another conservative Member Of Parliament has switched sides to labour. In a defection no one saw coming, natalie elphicke, who represents dover, crossed the aisle. She says the conservatives under rishi sunak have become a byword for incompetence and division. In a statement, she said the key factors for her decision are housing and border security. There seemed to be confusion about the decision on both sides of the aisle, with people from both parties criticising the move. Certainly backbenchers are confused. My stance on immigration and refugees and Asylum Seekers for example has always been compl