US President Joe Biden advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to “not proceed” with Israel’s military operation in Rafah without a plan.
The White House reported that Biden told the Israeli leader on Sunday morning that the military operation in Rafah “should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there.”
Israel ordered the evacuation of Rafah last week ahead of an expected attack on the enclave’s southernmost town on the border with Egypt. Rafah was considered the last safe zone in Gaza, while Israel claims it is the last remaining stronghold of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a US-recognised terrorist organisation that has been ruling Gaza since 2007.
Israel struck Rafah last Friday night and continued strikes over the weekend, killing at least 37 Palestinians. The strikes came despite US warnings last week against expanding operations on Rafah.
More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began on 7 October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
