Washington has paused one shipment consisting of 1,800 2,000-pound (907-kg) bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, Reuters quotes US officials as saying.

Large bombs like 2,000-pound bombs have an impact over a wide area. According to the United Nations: “The pressure from the explosion can rupture lungs, burst sinus cavities and tear off limbs hundreds of meters from the blast site.”

The International Commission for the Red Cross in 2022 reported the use of wide-area explosives in a densely populated area “is very likely to have indiscriminate effects or violate the principle of proportionality”.

After the news broke on Tuesday in Washington, a senior Israeli official declined to confirm the report. “If we have to fight with our fingernails, then we’ll do what we have to do,” the source said. A military spokesperson said any disagreements were resolved in private.

International humanitarian law does not explicitly ban aerial bombing in densely populated areas, however, civilians cannot be targets and a specific military aim must be proportionate to possible civilian casualties or damage.

The statute of the International Criminal Court, which is investigating the Israel-Gaza conflict, lists as a war crime intentionally launching an attack when it is known that civilian death or damage will be “clearly excessive” compared to any direct military advantage.