Register

Sign In
Home
News
Sport
Business
Innovation
Culture
Travel
Earth
Video
Live

Israel Gaza: US again warns against Rafah offensive

19 hours ago
By Alex Therrien & John Sudworth in New York,
BBC News

Share
Reuters A Palestinian girl reacts at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in
RafahReuters
A Palestinian girl at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah this week
US officials have again raised concerns with their Israeli counterparts about
Israel's plans for military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The White House said representatives of Israel's prime minister had agreed "to take
these concerns into account".

The US has repeatedly urged Israel not to launch a major offensive in Rafah to
avoid more civilian casualties in Gaza.

Separately, the US vetoed a UN resolution to grant full member status to a State of

Palestine.

In another development, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Israeli Defence

Minister Yoav Gallant to "discuss regional threats and Iran's destabilising actions
in the Middle East".

They also discussed "the importance of increasing and sustaining the flow of
humanitarian aid to Gazan civilians, including via the new route from Ashdod Port
in Israel".

The Israeli military says it has struck dozens of targets in Gaza, a day after
widespread Israeli bombing of the central part of the strip as well as Gaza City in
the north.

Qatar - which has played a major mediating role in truce talks - said earlier that
ceasefire negotiations had stalled.

Netanyahu sets Rafah attack date as pressure grows

Bowen: Israel denies famine looms in Gaza, but evidence is overwhelming
Qatar reassesses mediator role in Gaza truce talks
Six months on, how close is Israel to eliminating Hamas?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently vowed to carry out an
offensive in Rafah - where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering - as a
next step in military actions against Hamas.

The US, Israel's closest ally, has been pressing Israel not to conduct a broad
offensive in Rafah but to instead take a more targeted approach.

The war in Gaza erupted when Hamas-led gunmen carried out an unprecedented attack
on southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and
taking 253 others back to Gaza as hostages.

At least 33,970 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the majority of them
women and children, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry, during
Israel's military campaign to destroy Hamas and release hostages.

A White House readout of Thursday's meeting said Rafah was the focus of discussions
along with Iran's unprecedented drone and missile strike on Israel last week.

"The two sides agreed on the shared objective to see Hamas defeated in Rafah. US
participants expressed concerns with various courses of action in Rafah," the
statement said.

It said they had agreed to have follow-up discussions between experts and would
meet again soon.

According to US news site Axios, US officials have "flatly denied" reports that the
Biden administration gave a "green light for an operation in Rafah" if Israel
declined to strike Iran in retaliation for last weekend's attack on its territory.

Israel did not immediately comment on Thursday's meeting, which followed similar
talks on 1 April.

At the time, US officials reportedly told the Israelis their planning for Rafah was
insufficient for evacuating and protecting Palestinian civilians sheltering there
after being forced to flee their homes.

The resolution to grant full UN member status to a State of Palestine was vetoed by
the US at a meeting of the Security Council.

The Palestinian Authority has had observer status since 2012 but cannot vote in
proceedings.

Twelve members voted in favour of the resolution - including France, Japan and
South Korea - while the US was the lone member voting against, with two
abstentions, by the UK and Switzerland.

It was a unilateral action the US had been keen to avoid if it possibly could, with
reports of intense behind-the-scenes lobbying in advance of the vote in the hope of
winning over some other Security Council members to its side.

Explaining his country's veto, the US deputy ambassador, Robert Wood, insisted
Washington continued to strongly support a two-state solution, but that any change
in status for a State of Palestine at the UN should only come as part of a
negotiated settlement with Israel.

The Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said his people had a "natural
right" to self-determination.

"The people of Palestine will not disappear," he added. "We will not disappear. The
people of Palestine will not be buried. They are a historical fact. They are a
history that cannot be erased no matter the great power, no matter the tyranny."

Israel's envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, thanked the US for "standing up for truth
and morality in the face of hypocrisy and politics" and accused other countries who
had backed the resolution of deciding to "reward Palestinian terror with
Palestinian state".

According to Russia's envoy, Vassily Nebenzya, the US had "demonstrated their true
attitude towards the Palestinians". To Washington, they don't deserve to have their
own state," he added. "They are only an obstacle to the realization of Israel's
interests."

The UK's envoy, Barbara Woodward, said: "We believe that such recognition of
Palestinian statehood should not come at the start of a new process, but it doesn't
have to be at the very end of the process. We must start with fixing the immediate
crisis in Gaza."

Netanyahu sets Rafah attack date as pressure grows

Israel & the Palestinians
Israel-Gaza war
Israel
Palestinian territories
Iran
Related
Qatar reassesses mediator role in Gaza truce talks
2 days ago
Middle East
'I’m in pieces' - Israeli hostage's agony over husband held by Hamas
2 days ago
Middle East
Apple update addresses Jerusalem emoji controversy
3 days ago
Technology
More
29 mins ago
A police officer speaks to Gideon Falter
Met Police apologises for 'openly Jewish' comment
Footage shows Gideon Falter being told his presence is "antagonising" near a pro-
Palestine march.

London
2 hrs ago
Merlyn Thomas and footage from Israel's attack on Iran
BBC Verify examines video from Israel's attack on Iran
Footage showing explosions in the sky over Iran has been analysed by BBC Verify.

Middle East
2 hrs ago
A gas flare on an oil production platform is seen alongside an Iranian flag.
Oil price eases as Iran downplays attack
Oil prices eased after Iran said a missile strike from Israel did little damage.

Middle East
3 hrs ago
Katherine Miles with her family in Wadi Rum during their holiday
Family 'unnerved' after seeing Iranian missile attack
A Cambridge family paid almost £4,000 to get home from Jordan after their flight
was cancelled.

Cambridgeshire
5 hrs ago
Police clear the camp on Wednesday
Over 100 arrested as US college Gaza protest cleared
Democratic politician Ilhan Omar's daughter is suspended from college for
participating.

US & Canada
Home
News
Sport
Business
Innovation
Culture
Travel
Earth
Video
Live
Audio
Weather
BBC Shop
BBC in other languages
Terms of Use
About the BBC
Privacy Policy
Cookies
Accessibility Help
Contact the BBC
Advertise with us
Do not share or sell my info
Contact technical support
Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the
content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

Search news, topics and more

Home

News

Sport

Business

Innovation

Culture

Travel

Earth

Video

Live

Audio

Weather