Austin (left) with Gallant during a previous visit to Tel Aviv (Israeli Ministry of Defense)
The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) announced that Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed by telephone with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant the Israeli military operations against the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
The Pentagon said that Austin raised with Gallant the need for a plan to ensure the safety of more than a million people who took refuge in the city of Rafah, south of the Strip, before starting any operation there. He also raised the need to avoid clashes with humanitarian organizations and ensure that more aid reaches civilians.
During recent weeks, several statements were issued by US President Joe Biden and other officials in his administration, during which they expressed their concern about the upcoming Israeli military operation in Rafah, and the difficult humanitarian repercussions that might result from it, but these statements were not supported by any practical action to pressure the Israeli war government to dissuade it from... Invading the city, which houses 1,400,000 Palestinians, most of whom are displaced.
Last Wednesday, Politico newspaper quoted 3 American officials as saying that the Biden administration would not punish Israel if it launched a military campaign in the city of Rafah, without providing protection to the Palestinians in the city.
The newspaper said that the three officials - who preferred to remain anonymous - told it that Washington does not plan to rebuke Israel, which means that Israeli forces can enter Rafah and harm civilians in the city without suffering any consequences from the United States of America.
Observers believe that this information represents a green light from the American administration for the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward with his plan to invade the city, which is the last refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced people, despite international condemnation and mounting warnings, which will result in massacres of innocent civilians.
Yesterday, Thursday, Bloomberg reported, citing informed sources, that Israeli officials secretly acknowledge that they do not have a specific strategy for how to transfer 1,400,000 civilians from Rafah, or how long that will take, nor do they know where they might be transferred to.
The agency explained that Western officials believe that Israel will carry out its military operation in Rafah, whatever the cost, but they are concerned about the deadline for the attack, which was set in the month of Ramadan.
Source: Al Jazeera