US Tells “Israel” It Won’t Back Rafah Invasion as Currently Planned

By Staff, Agencies

The US cannot support a full-scale attack on Rafah as it would lead to additional loss of life and disrupt humanitarian aid deliveries, the State Department said on Monday.

The comments by State Department spokesman Matthew Miller came as “Israeli” jets began bombing the city on the border with Egypt, currently home to about 1.4 million Palestinians displaced from northern and central Gaza.

“We do not support ‘Israel’ launching a full-scale military operation in Rafah,” Miller told reporters in Washington.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials last week that the US could not support an attack on Rafah “as it is currently envisioned,” Miller added.

The apartheid “Israeli” entity did not present the US with a humanitarian plan for the enclave “that is credible and that is implementable,” the State Department spokesman said. “We believe that a military operation in Rafah right now would dramatically increase the suffering of the Palestinian people.”

Miller pointed out that most of the humanitarian aid currently being delivered to Gaza comes through Rafah via Egypt, noting that an incursion into the city would “make it incredibly difficult to sustain the increases in humanitarian assistance that we have been able to deliver.”

Earlier in the day, the “Israel” Occupation Forces [IOF] told Rafah residents to evacuate because it was preparing to strike the city with “extreme force”. Airstrikes began several hours later. 

Netanyahu has threatened to send troops into the city for several months, arguing that it was necessary to guarantee the “Israeli” entity a “total victory” over Hamas. Last week, the “Israeli” prime minister said he intended to do so regardless of a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian group or international pressure.

The military strikes on Rafah came ahead of talks in Egypt on Tuesday aimed at sealing a truce proposal accepted by Hamas, which was put forward by Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

According to a copy of the proposal, there will be three phases to ending “Israel’s” onslaught against Gaza.

About 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering in Rafah, once designated a “safe zone” by the “Israeli” military. Palestinians are now struggling to evacuate the city, after the “Israeli” military dropped leaflets ordering them to leave as a large-scale assault on the city is planned.