2024-04-09 19:51:08
Washington, USA (CNN)– In a phone call with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel is “still developing a plan” for a possible invasion of Rafah and is making the necessary preparations, including protecting civilians. He did not indicate that a date has been set for the operation, she said. Sources familiar with the call to the network CNN.
Gallant indicated that the timetable is still being worked out, in contrast to what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, that the date for the Rafah invasion had been “set,” without mentioning what the date was. Netanyahu said on Monday, “Victory requires entering Rafah and eliminating the terrorist brigades there. This will happen; there is a date.”
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also said on Tuesday that Israel had not informed the United States of any date for the Rafah invasion, but he expected the Biden administration to see “Israeli colleagues again next week” to hold discussions on this issue.
American officials still aim to hold additional talks with the Israelis about their plan to conduct an operation in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, with the aim of eliminating the remaining Hamas militants, while at the same time protecting more than a million Palestinians sheltering there.
“The president has been very clear about our concerns, our deep concerns about Israel’s ability to move civilians out of harm’s way, to take care of them once they’re out of harm’s way, and to undertake any kind of major military operation that doesn’t work,” Blinken said.
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