Biden urged to ensure the safety of civilians in Rafah on the front foot, and the Israeli army hit hundreds of people in all directions on the back foot**
Joseph Biden of the United States spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the 11th, urging the Israeli army to promise to ensure the safety of local civilians before attacking the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. The next day, the Israeli army launched an all-round land, sea and air attack on Rafah and the surrounding areas. According to Palestinian reports, the actions of the Israeli army on the 12th resulted in hundreds of people**.
The United States "fights fires with salary".
The phone call between the leaders of the United States and Israel lasted 45 minutes on the 11th. In a phone call with Netanyahu, Biden reiterated that Israeli forces should not conduct military operations in Rafah without "a credible and viable plan to ensure the safety of more than 1 million people in Rafah," according to the White House briefing.
A senior U.S. official, who did not want to be named, said that based on the "current situation," the U.S. side does not support Israeli military operations in Rafah because the local population is dense and "civilians have nowhere to go." In addition, the Israeli leadership had previously assured the US side that the transfer of civilians to safe areas was a "clear prerequisite" for the Israeli army to conduct military operations in Rafah.
During the phone call, the US and Israeli leaders also talked about the new round of Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire negotiations that are being promoted. According to the above-mentioned US ***, the negotiations have been "tangible progress" and "close" to a framework for an agreement, although there are still "significant gaps" to be bridged. The ** did not specify what the gap meant.
The first round of Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire talks was held in Paris, France, on 28 January, with the participation of Qatari leaders and heads of the intelligence services of the United States, Israel, and Egypt. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) responded to the agreement earlier this month, but the Israeli side rejected the demands.
In recent years, the United States has provided about $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel each year. Since the outbreak of a new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, the United States has repeatedly vigorously supported Israel in terms of military assistance and diplomacy. Biden recently proposed to Congress an additional $14 billion in aid to Israel. Syria's Bashar al-Assad said on the 11th of this month that the United States continues to provide lethal services to Israel in the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and has launched military operations in many places in the Middle East, which will expand regional conflicts.
In tongues without faith
According to the Palestinian News Agency, the Israeli army launched an all-round land, sea and air attack on Rafah and surrounding areas in the early morning of the 12th, resulting in at least 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries, including women and children.
The day before, Israeli forces intensively bombarded the southern part of the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, killing at least 68 people.
Rafah, located at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, was once designated a "safe zone" by the Israeli army after the outbreak of the current round of conflict, covering an area of 5,500 hectares. According to the United Nations, Rafah has a permanent population of less than 300,000 and is "extremely crowded" as millions of civilians from the northern and central parts of the Gaza Strip have fled south to escape the fighting.
The Israeli army issued a statement on the 12th, saying that the Israeli army completed several strikes on many targets in the Shabula refugee camp in southern Rafah on the same day. On the same day, AFP reporters heard dense and heavy bombardment from Rafah and saw smoke billowing over the city.
Netanyahu said in an interview with the Fox Sunday news column of the United States on the 11th that after the Israeli army attacks Rafah, local people can take refuge in the area north of Rafah. Netanyahu claimed that the Israeli army would provide "safe passage" to the local population and guide the evacuation through "leaflets, mobile phone messages" and other means.
According to the Associated Press, in other areas of the Gaza Strip outside Rafah, Israeli military operations have caused widespread destruction and have made those areas almost uninhabitable.
Multiple warnings of the consequences
Netanyahu asked the Israeli military and security services on the 9th to formulate a plan to carry out a ground operation in Rafah and eliminate Hamas's living forces. The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Nations, the European Union and many others oppose the Israeli army's assault on Rafah, warning that such a move will have "catastrophic consequences".
As an important port for external aid to enter the Gaza Strip, the already serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is bound to further exacerbate the already serious humanitarian crisis in Rafah if it is attacked by Israeli forces. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres posted on the social media platform on the 11th that the Israeli military action will create a catastrophe of Taoism and bring serious consequences to the entire Middle East region.
Josep Borrell, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, warned that an Israeli attack on Rafah would trigger an "unspeakable" humanitarian catastrophe. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed "deep concern" about the prospect of an Israeli attack on Rafah. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries have also warned that an Israeli attack on Rafah will lead to serious consequences.
Hamas issued a statement on the 12th, saying that the Israeli army's attack on Rafah was "advancing the war of genocide" and continued to forcibly expel Palestinian civilians.
According to the Associated Press, before the phone call between Biden and Netanyahu, Egypt's **two** revealed that the Egyptian side threatened to suspend the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement and urged Israel not to attack Rafah. The Egyptian side is worried that if the Israeli army launches a large-scale military operation against Rafah, it will inevitably lead to a large influx of Palestinians into Egypt and further aggravate regional tensions.
*:Xinhua.
Process edit: u022