For Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, the time for a military operation in the city of Rafah has already been decided. Objection now apparently comes from Defense Minister Gallant. The US government expresses major concerns.
There is apparently disagreement within the Israeli government over a planned military operation in the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. According to media reports, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his US counterpart Llyod Austin that there is no date yet for such a ground offensive.
Gallant contradicted the statement of his Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli newspapers Haaretz, Times of Israel and the news portal Axios all reported, citing informed sources.
Netanyahu publicly stated on Monday that the date for the planned offensive in the city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, which is currently overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of refugees, had been set. Gallant reportedly said in a phone call with Austin that Israel was still finalizing plans for the evacuation of civilians there.
US government views deployment critically
The US government wants to prevent Israel from carrying out a large-scale operation in Rafah. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expects Israel to keep quiet for the time being. A meeting with an Israeli delegation is planned for next week to discuss the US side’s concerns about such an operation, Blinken said.
“I do not assume that any measures will be taken before these talks,” he emphasized. It is still the belief that a major operation in Rafah would be extremely dangerous for civilians. The Israeli side has not given the US government a date for a Rafah offensive, Blinken said.
Report: 40,000 tents for evacuation
Israel, meanwhile, appears to be moving forward with evacuation plans for Rafah. According to another media report, around 40,000 tents were purchased to accommodate civilians in preparation for the offensive. The Jerusalem Post reported that the purchase was intended to pave the way for a military operation in the city on the border with Egypt “in the near future.”
There has been no official announcement about the purchase of the tents. An Israeli representative only confirmed the preparation of thousands of “shelters.” According to UN estimates, more than a million refugees from other parts of the disputed coastal area are crowding into Rafah.
Here too, the US side emphasized its skepticism. U.S. President Joe Biden’s security adviser Jake Sullivan said he had not yet seen a “credible and feasible” plan for the relocation of people in Rafah that would detail how the civilians could be accommodated and provided medical care.
“What he’s doing is a mistake”
Biden himself reiterated his criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war. “What he is doing is a mistake,” the US president said of Prime Minister Netanyahu in an interview broadcast on Tuesday evening. “I don’t agree with his approach.”
The interview was conducted by the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision on April 3, two days after the Israeli attack on a convoy belonging to the aid organization World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip, in which several people were killed. Biden’s statement was in response to the question of whether Netanyahu was guided by political considerations in his decisions in the Gaza war.
Biden also said Israel should agree to a ceasefire and allow more aid supplies into the Gaza Strip. “It should happen now.” The day after the interview was conducted, Biden threatened Netanyahu in a phone call that he would limit U.S. support for Israel if it did not do more to protect civilians and aid workers in the Gaza Strip. Shortly afterwards, new promises came from Israel.