Israel prepares for operation in Rafah: US warns of 'disaster'
The US administration has warned that potential military operations by Israel in Rafah would be "a disaster" and stated that it would not support such an operation.
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White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby evaluated the latest situation in Gaza and Israel's potential Rafah operation during his daily press briefing.
"A MILITARY OPERATION IN RAFAH WOULD BE A DISASTER"
Reminding that hundreds of thousands of people pushed toward the south of Gaza are trapped in a narrow area, Kirby stated the following:
"We have not seen any plans that indicate (Israel) is going to begin military operations in the Rafah area immediately or in the near future. Palestinians are being protected in and around Rafah. There are a large number of displaced people there. Military operations against these people (in Rafah) right now would be a disaster, and that is not something we would support."
US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel also responded to questions on the same topic, emphasizing that the Biden administration does not support a military operation in Rafah.
In a press briefing at the Department, Patel assessed that "conducting an operation in this area, where more than 1 million people have taken refuge, without a plan would be a disaster."
ISRAEL SIGNALS "ATTACK ON RAFAH"
In the Gaza Strip, where approximately 2.3 million people live, about 1.9 million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced. A large portion of those displaced have taken refuge in the city of Rafah, located on the Egyptian border in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The population of Rafah, which was home to approximately 280 thousand people before the Israeli attacks, has increased more than 4-fold as of today, exceeding 1.2 million.
Due to the lack of sufficient housing, the vast majority of these Palestinians are struggling to survive in camps consisting of makeshift tents.
The Israeli administration, meanwhile, is signaling that it will now attack Rafah.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement during his visit to Israeli troops in the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip on February 1 that they would extend their ground attacks to the city of Rafah on the Egyptian border.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also signaled in his statement on February 4 that they would launch a ground attack on the city of Rafah.
Israeli forces frequently target the city of Rafah with airstrikes. There is concern that if Israel launches a ground attack on the city of Rafah, civilians will have nowhere left to take refuge in the Gaza Strip.