The international community strongly condemns Israel's attack on Rafah and is generally worried that the Israeli army will launch a ground offensive against Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in an interview with CBS on the 25th that even if Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) reach an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of detainees, the Israeli army will eventually launch a ground offensive against Rafah, and the offensive will only be "postponed" because of the above agreement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: We can't leave a quarter of the Hamas militants in Rafah and say it's okay. Our goal is to win across the board. Once we start the (Rafah ground) operation, this goal is within reach not in a few months, but in a few weeks.
Today, Rafah has become the last refuge for the people of the Gaza Strip, where more than 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of the population of the Gaza Strip, most of whom have fled from elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. Rafah is also the gateway for international humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel has previously claimed that it will evacuate civilians, but has not said where. The international community strongly appeals to Israel to refrain from attacking Rafah in order to avoid causing a large number of civilians**.
In the face of the grim situation in Rafah, the US side has also verbally declared on many occasions in recent days that "military operations should not be carried out in Rafah unless the Israeli army can guarantee the safety of the people in Rafah." However, when U.S. affairs assistant Jake Sullivan was asked if the U.S. was willing to do something to put pressure on Israel, he avoided talking about it.
U.S.A. Assistant for Affairs Jake Sullivan: We have made it clear that unless there is a clear and executable plan to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip, to evacuate them to safe locations and to provide them with food, clothing, and shelter. Otherwise, we believe that no major military operation should be carried out in Rafah. We haven't seen such a plan yet.
NBC News Anchor: So is Biden willing to suspend ** sales to Israel until he sees the above plan. What is he willing to do to exert influence on Israel.
Sullivan, Assistant for Affairs, USA: I'm not going to make any assumptions.
The Hill commented that Sullivan's statement is obviously different from Netanyahu's rhetoric, which seems to mean that Israel has not shared relevant information with the United States.
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 militarily and diplomatically. Biden recently proposed to Congress an additional $14 billion in aid to Israel. Syria's ** Bashar 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.