An Israelian offensive against Rafah woulda caususe an unacceptable damage, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday evening, adding that Israel had not yet published a plan on how it would ensure the protection of civilians during the operation.
In the absence of such a plan, we cannot support such a large-scale military action against Rafah, as the damage would be beyond acceptable levels. – Blinken said on the McCain Institute forum in Arizona.
In Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip along the Egyptian border, was home to around 280,000 people before the war, but the fighting has seen more than 1.5 million people, including refugees from the rest of the Strip, crowding into the city. Mr Blinken underlined that the ceasefire now depends only on the Hamas terrorist organisation that controls the zone.
« We will see if they agree to a ceasefire and the release of hostages, » Blinken said during a discussions on a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages taken to Gaza in early October resume in Egypt on Saturday.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that Israel had not yet presented Washington with any comprehensive plan to protect civilians in the planned operation, although she said the offensive had been discussed several times, including by US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Gebrejus, has also expressed concern about a possible raid by the Israeli army on the Palestinian territory.
The WHO highlighted that only 33 percent of the 36 hospitals are operational adding that there is also a shortage of staff and basic medical equipment
