The Biden administration is “concerned” with the Israeli military’s operations in Rafah, though it hasn’t seen a “large-scale invasion” yet, according to National Security Council coordinator John Kirby.
The Israeli military said it was engaged in a “precise counterterrorism operation” in eastern Rafah, while United Nations agencies have said that roughly 110,000 people have fled the city under the Israelis’ advice.
President Joe Biden has threatened to limit or stop U.S. offensive military aid to Israel if it goes ahead and conducts full-scale operations in Rafah. The U.S. is among several countries that have warned an Israeli ground operation in Rafah could result in significant numbers of civilian casualties because more than a million people are sheltering in the city, which is along the Gaza-Egypt border.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say what we’ve seen here in the last 24 hours connotes or indicates a broad, large-scale invasion or major ground operation,” Kirby explained on Friday. “It appears to be localized near the crossing.”
Israel has seized the Rafah Crossing from the Gaza side.
“We’re watching it with concern,” he added.
Four Hamas battalions remain
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said in an interview with Dr. Phil that the four Hamas battalions that remain intact are in Rafah, which is why it believes a full-scale invasion is necessary to ensure their defeat.
“We will do what we have to do to protect our country and that means protect our future, that means we will defeat Hamas including in Rafah, we have no other choice,” the prime minister said.
The extent of Israel’s operations in Rafah has yet to be fully seen. Israel’s security cabinet approved the “expansion of the area of operation” of the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah on Thursday, according to Axios. It’s unclear whether this decision will cross Biden’s red line.
Rafah is also the primary location for humanitarian aid to get into the strip, though full-scale operations threaten the infrastructure humanitarian organizations have set up. Aid is desperately needed in Gaza, where everyone is on the brink of famine.
The closure of the Rafah crossing has “severed access to fuel, supplies, and the movement of humanitarian staff,” said Georgios Petropoulos, the head of the Gaza suboffice of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, according to CNN.
The U.S. had hoped to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire deal prior to an Israeli operation in Rafah, but the two sides could not reach a deal. The U.S. had advocated a proposal that would’ve paused the fighting in the war for about six weeks, forced Hamas to release about 30 hostages held since Oct. 7, and provided a surge of humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians.
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“We still believe that a deal is possible. We still believe, as I said the other day, the gaps remaining can be surmounted, but it’s going to require leadership, it’s going to require some more courage, and it’s going to require continued ability to compromise and negotiate good faith,” Kirby added. “We’re not giving up on that.”
CIA Director Bill Burns is leading the U.S. mediators, and he returned from the Middle East following the conclusion of this round of talks without a deal.
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