U.S. Secretary of State Blinken met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel on the 22nd, in lieu of a large-scale ground operation to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
The focus is on whether he can avoid ground operations that are feared to involve many civilians. A team of senior Israeli officials will be sent to the US capital Washington next week to continue talks, with a focus on whether a large scale ground operation in Rafah can be avoided. We will keep you updated on developments regarding Israel and Palestine as of March 23, Japan time.