On Monday, US President Joe Biden announced that he had urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dispatch a delegation to Washington for discussions aimed at preventing a full-scale assault in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
This move represents one of Biden’s most direct efforts yet to exert influence over the pivotal US ally amidst concerns that escalating violence could exacerbate the already significant loss of life and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, particularly in Rafah.
In a separate statement, the White House disclosed that Israel had carried out a strike in Gaza, resulting in the death of one of Hamas’s senior commanders.
Biden and Netanyahu (Credits: Middle East Monitor)
“I urged the Prime Minister to send a delegation to Washington to explore strategies for targeting Hamas without launching a major ground offensive in Rafah,” Biden stated following his first conversation with Netanyahu in over a month.
Biden also emphasized “the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, coupled with efforts to secure the release of hostages within several weeks, allowing us to repatriate the hostages and increase assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
Rafah currently shelters approximately 1.5 million individuals, the majority of whom have been displaced due to Israel’s sustained attacks on other parts of Gaza following Hamas’s provocations on October 7.
The White House disclosed that Biden cautioned Netanyahu against launching an offensive in Rafah during their initial call since February 15.
Biden and Netanyahu (Credits: Semafor)
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized to reporters that “a significant ground operation in that area would be a mistake,” citing its potential to escalate civilian casualties, exacerbate the existing humanitarian crisis, fuel chaos in Gaza, and further isolate Israel on the global stage.
Netanyahu agreed to dispatch a team of senior Israeli officials to Washington in the coming days to explore “alternative approaches targeting key Hamas elements,” Sullivan confirmed.
Additionally, Sullivan verified that Israel had eliminated Marwan Issa, Hamas’s third-ranking leader, in an operation conducted the previous week. While Israel had previously reported targeting Issa in an airstrike in Gaza, his death had not been confirmed until now.
