Israel apparently wants to expand its military operation in the south of the Gaza Strip. However, there are hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people there. US President Biden has now appealed again to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
US President Joe Biden has again called on Israel to provide better protection for civilians in the Gaza Strip. Biden was responding to an order from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Friday in which he called on the Israeli army to prepare an offensive on Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip.
In a phone call with Netanyahu, Biden reiterated that an “actionable plan is needed to ensure the safety of the more than one million people seeking refuge there,” the White House said in Washington. The US President also called for concrete steps towards more humanitarian aid, it said.
According to eyewitnesses, Israel has already attacked targets in Rafah from the air on several occasions. Israeli ground troops have not yet been deployed there. Before the Gaza war, the city, which borders Egypt, had around 300,000 inhabitants, but there are now said to be at least 1.3 million internally displaced people there. Most of them fled there from other parts of the coastal strip – some on orders from the Israeli military.
Call via flyer to leave Rafah
In an interview with US broadcaster Fox News, Netanyahu said there was “plenty of space for people to go” north of Rafah. Israel is sending them in this direction, including with the help of flyers and mobile communications. “Those people who say we can’t advance to Rafah under any circumstances are basically saying: Don’t win, lose,” Netanyahu argued.
The US government had already spoken out clearly against military action in Rafah before the prime minister’s announcement. On Thursday, Biden toughened his tone towards Israel and described the actions against the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza war as disproportionate. Asked about this on Fox News, Netanyahu said: “How would the US have reacted in our place? I would say the reaction would have been at least as strong as Israel’s.”
How would the USA have reacted?
According to the White House, the conversation between Biden and Netanyahu again focused on the shared goal of defeating Hamas and ensuring the long-term security of Israel and the Israeli people. Biden also insisted on “using the progress made in negotiations with Hamas to ensure the release of all hostages as quickly as possible.”
Netanyahu, in turn, emphasized in an interview with the US broadcaster ABC News that the number of remaining hostages justified Israel’s massive military action in the Gaza Strip.
The USA has long been urging Israel to increase protection of the civilian population and provide more aid to the population in Gaza. However, the US government’s recent statements indicate increasing discontent with the resonance of its appeals with the Israeli leadership.