Israeli Channel 12 said this evening, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, that the Israeli army has begun preparations to launch a ground military operation in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, in the event of the collapse of the negotiations taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha, under the auspices of Egyptian, Qatari, and American mediators.
Channel 12 indicated that the Israeli army will work in Rafah on several tracks, namely treating tunnels, attacking weapons depots, combating money laundering, and finally killing (terrorist) elements.
The channel claimed that the Israeli army had begun steps to isolate the city of Rafah and evacuate civilians, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the purchase of 40,000 tents from China to set up in Gaza, in preparation for the ground operation in Rafah.
The channel added that the tents will be transported upon their arrival from Israel to the Gaza Strip, where clear places will be identified in the Strip, to be set up and for the displaced to stay in them.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told Channel 12: “The United States of America opposes a ground operation in Rafah. We simply cannot support a major ground attack in Rafah that does not include an achievable and verifiable plan that would ensure the security and safety of 1.5 million.” Displaced residents of Gaza, who fled there (Rafah) due to the operations that took place in the north, in Khan Yunis, and previously in Gaza City.
Kirby continued: “We need to make sure that their security is well taken care of (..) We realize that it is necessary to act against Hamas, and we certainly realize that Israel has the right to do so, of course they do (..) Hamas still poses a threat.” “It is true, and we know that there are (terrorists) from Hamas in Rafah, and we fully understand the need for that, but we do not think that entering deep into Rafah is a good idea.”
Referring to the warning about the “consequences” of operating in Rafah, which was confirmed by his Vice President Biden, Kirby did not go into details: “As the Vice President also said, I will not speculate, or go into hypothetical scenarios here. We believe that there are other ways to go after Hamas in Rafah.” “While Israel, again, has every right to do this, but in a way that does not put these people, the refugees, at risk.”
And he announced White HouseThe office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to reschedule a planned meeting for a delegation from his country with American officials in Washington to discuss the ground military operation that Tel Aviv plans to launch in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, according to what was reported by the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
This delegation was scheduled to leave for Washington this week, but Netanyahu canceled that visit in protest against the United States not obstructing the resolution recently adopted by the Security Council, which calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan.
The Hebrew newspaper said that Netanyahu conveyed to the White House a message stating that he wanted to set a new date for the arrival of his country’s delegation to Washington, retracting his decision to cancel the visit.
For some time now, regional and international warnings have been mounting about the repercussions of any Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, which is home to about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians who were pushed by the Israeli army into the area claiming that it was safe, and then later launched attacks on it that resulted in deaths and injuries.
