Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he remains determined to carry out a ground invasion of Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where many displaced Palestinians have taken refuge, despite US President Joe Biden’s concerns. .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers on Tuesday that he had told the US president “very clearly” that “we are determined to complete the annihilation of these battalions in Rafah, and the only way to do that is by being on the ground.” Told.
After the two leaders met on Monday, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US believed the Rafah attack was a “mistake” and that Israel could achieve its military objectives through other means. said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in comments on Tuesday that he would wait to hear proposals from the United States “with respect to the president” on how to protect civilians in Rafah before ordering the operation.
But he said Israel had no choice but to attack on the ground to achieve its goal of annihilating Hamas.
“What we are discussing with the American side is not the need to eliminate Hamas, but the need to enter Rafah,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
Israeli officials say Rafah, on the Egyptian border, is Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians, more than half of Gaza’s population, have taken refuge in Rafah, fleeing fighting elsewhere in the Strip.
The White House has said it will not support Operation Rafah unless Israel presents a credible plan to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden has urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send a team of senior military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington for comprehensive consultations on the planned operation in Rafah. He said he requested it.
Details are still being worked out, but the talks will likely take place early next week, he said, adding that the White House has called on Israel to take further steps to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. Ta.
The war began on October 7 when Hamas fighters invaded Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli counts.
Palestinian health officials say Israel’s retaliatory onslaught has killed nearly 32,000 people, with thousands more feared to be trapped under rubble.
Late Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike on a major roundabout killed 30 people associated with a group formed to secure the entry of aid trucks into Gaza City, Hamas media said.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the US said Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza could amount to a war crime of intentional starvation.
“The extent to which Israel continues to restrict the entry of aid into Gaza and the manner in which it continues to engage in hostilities may amount to the use of starvation as a means of war, which could constitute a war crime. “, Volker Turk said. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Partnership with Reuters and Associated Press
