Israel plans to invade Rafah: US warns against offensive
US officials have once again warned Israel against their plans for military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than one million Palestinians are sheltering.
The White House said representatives of Israel’s PM had agreed “to take these concerns into account.”
The US has repeatedly urged Israel not to launch a major offence in Rafah to avoid more civilian deaths in Gaza.
Elsewhere, the US vetoed a UN resolution to grant full member status to a State of Palestine.
The Israeli military says it has struck dozens of targets in Gaza, a day after widespread Israeli bombing of the central part of the strip as well as Gaza City in the north.
Qatar – which has played a major mediating role in truce talks – said earlier that ceasefire negotiations had stalled.
The US is Israel’s closest ally. They are urging Israel to take a more targeted approach instead of a broad offensive in Rafah.
Everybody in my family is selling everything they own to try and get more people out of Gaza before they invade Rafah. Biden could prevent this with one sentence. Make sure his supporters are aware of this. If you're supporting genocide, do it loud and proud https://t.co/bIwJq9IYGn
— الكسندرا ميراي🇵🇸 (@LexiAlex) April 19, 2024
The war began on October 7 when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, and taking 253 others hostage.
At least 33,970 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the majority of them women and children, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, during Israel’s military campaign to destroy Hamas and release hostages.