Biden confirms that American bombs killed Palestinian civilians

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that American bombs have been used by Israel to kill Palestinian civilians.

"Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers," Biden said during a CNN interview when asked whether the 2,000-pound bombs sent to Israel have killed civilians.

If the Israeli military launches a ground offensive in Rafah, a city in Gaza where more than one million people are sheltering, the White House will not supply "the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah to deal with the cities," Biden said.

"We're not going to supply the weapons and the artillery shells used," Biden said.

The move would mark a shift in U.S. policy toward the war.

NBC News previously reported that the White House halted a shipment of offensive weapons last week that included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs, according to a senior administration official.

An Israeli official told NBC News there was deep frustration in the Israeli government over the decision as Israel's military prepares to launch an expected ground offensive in the southern city in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the military would enter the city "with or without" a deal with Hamas.

Biden has reiterated his opposition to the Rafah offensive in calls with Netanyahu, according to White House readouts of the leaders' conversations.