US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will discuss the need to ensure Hamas’s defeat, “including in Rafah,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says, confirming the top American diplomat’s Friday visit to Israel.
The US came out against Israel’s plan to launch a major ground invasion in Rafah this week and is instead pushing alternative initiatives that will advance Israel’s goals without another offensive that would come at a high humanitarian cost for Palestinians who, the UN says, are facing imminent famine after over five months of war.
The Biden administration is pushing for a more limited operation in Rafah and other parts of Gaza targeting Hamas’s military leaders; the securing of the Egypt-Gaza border to prevent continued smuggling; a surge of humanitarian aid through new access points into the enclave; and the promotion of a viable, Palestinian Authority-linked alternative to Hamas rule, US officials told The Times of Israel yesterday. (Read More)
