Republican President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he has directed the U.S. military to lift a hold placed by Democratic former President Joe Biden on the delivery of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. This decision was anticipated by many.

“We released them. We released them today. And they’ll have them. They paid for them and they’ve been waiting for them for a long time. They’ve been in storage,” Trump stated to reporters while aboard Air Force One.

Biden had previously imposed the hold on these bomb deliveries due to concerns regarding their potential impact on civilians, particularly in Rafah, Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict in the region. A single 2,000-pound bomb is capable of penetrating thick concrete and metal, resulting in a significant blast radius. According to Reuters, the Biden administration had previously sent thousands of these bombs to Israel following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants but had paused one shipment.

Since the onset of the war, Washington has pledged billions of dollars in assistance to Israel. When questioned about the rationale behind releasing the bombs, Trump replied, “because they bought them.” Earlier on Saturday, he also mentioned on the Truth Social platform, “A lot of things that were ordered and paid for by Israel, but have not been sent by Biden, are now on their way!”

Both Trump and Biden have been staunch supporters of Israel, despite facing criticism from human rights advocates regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza resulting from Israel’s military actions. Protesters have called for an arms embargo, but their efforts have not succeeded.

Washington asserts that it is assisting Israel in its defense against militant groups supported by Iran, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.

A ceasefire in Gaza was implemented a week ago, resulting in the release of several Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel. Prior to his inauguration on January 20, Trump had cautioned that there would be severe consequences if Hamas did not release the hostages in Gaza.

During the 2023 assault on Israel, Hamas captured approximately 250 hostages, an event that resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 individuals, according to Israeli sources. This incident reignited violence in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza have reportedly resulted in over 47,000 fatalities, as stated by the Gaza health ministry, and have led to allegations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel refutes. The conflict has also displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza and triggered a severe hunger crisis.