JERUSALEM (AP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday: US threatens to withhold some weapons It does not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, but it does suggest that Israel may proceed with its attack on Gaza. Invasion of the crowded city of Rafah Against the wishes of our closest allies.
President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to pursue such an operation, saying it could worsen the situation. humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave. He increased pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, saying the United States would not provide offensive weapons for the Rafah attack.
But in a statement released Thursday, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “If we have to be isolated, we will be isolated. If we have to, we will fight with our claws. But we will fight with our claws.” I have more than that.”
Israel’s top military spokesman, Major General Daniel Hagari, also appears to be downplaying the practical impact of the arms hold-up. Responding to a question at his press conference, he said: “The military has ammunition for the mission we are planning and also for the mission in Rafah. We have what we need.”
israel repeats threatened to invade RafahApproximately 1.3 million Palestinians, more than half of the population, are displaced. The southern city of Gaza is also a major hub for humanitarian operations, which have been severely disrupted. Closure of two major crossings in Gaza this week.
Israel says Rafah is Hamas’ last stronghold and the military must intervene if it wants to dismantle the group and return the dozens of hostages taken in Rafah. October 7th attack That triggered the war.
In an earlier reaction to Biden’s decision, Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir wrote a post on Platform X with a heart between the words “Hamas” and “Biden.” He and other ultranationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition support a major Rafah operation and have threatened to overthrow the government if it fails.
Aid groups say the Rafah invasion would be devastating. The United Nations has said that most of the region’s 2.3 million Palestinians are suffering from hunger, and starvation is already ongoing in northern Gaza. “Full-scale starvation.”
Even the limited operation that Israel launched earlier this week, in which a tank brigade took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah border with Egypt, has thrown humanitarian operations into crisis.
It also complicated months of efforts by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to broker a ceasefire and release the hostages. Hamas announced this week that it had accepted the agreement. Egypt and Qatar ceasefire proposalBut Israel claims the plan does not meet its “core” demands. Several days of follow-up talks appear to have ended inconclusively on Thursday.
Some analysts said Mr. Biden’s hard line on Israel and the rift between allies could weaken Israel’s negotiating position and harden Hamas’ stance. Hamas demands as part of any agreement an end to the war and guarantees for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, a step Israel has ruled out.
“This sends a discordant message at a time when Hamas continues to engage in hostage deals in the hopes of obtaining a ceasefire without asking for anything in return as pressure mounts on Israel,” the Israel Policy Forum said. Stated. A pro-Israel organization based in New York.
The war started Hamas surprise attack on southern IsraelApproximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in this incident, and another 250 were taken hostage. The militants still hold about 100 prisoners and more than 30 bodies after most of the rest were released during last year’s ceasefire.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the war has killed more than 34,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The Israeli offensive, carried out using munitions supplied by the United States, caused widespread devastation and forced approximately 80% of the Gaza Strip’s population to flee their homes.
of israel Occupation of Rafah crossing A key fuel entry point was forced to close on Tuesday, but it is unclear when it will reopen. The United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency, known as UNRWA, said it had only enough stock to sustain operations for several days and had begun rationing.
Israel resumed the side of its neighbors Kerem Shalom intersection — Gaza’s main cargo terminal — after last weekend’s rocket attack, but UNRWA, Gaza’s main aid provider, says it cannot bring aid to the Palestinian side due to the security situation.
The recently reopened northern route is still operational, but only 60 trucks entered Gaza on Tuesday, far fewer than the 500 that entered Gaza daily before the war.
The ambulance heading for Floating pier built by Americans It left early Thursday morning to be installed in Gaza. But it is unclear when that corridor will be completed and operational, and even if it were, it would not be able to handle as much aid as it would need to cross Gaza’s two main land masses.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Pete Nguyen said Thursday that part of the pier is still in the Israeli port of Ashdod, awaiting more favorable waters before being relocated off the coast of Gaza. He said the US ship “Sagamore”, which left Cyprus, would transport aid to another ship “Roy P. Benavidez” off the coast of Gaza.
“In the coming days, the United States will begin an effort with the support of the international community to expand the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza residents using the floating pier,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Jerusalem, Menelaos Hadjikostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, and Ellen Knickmeyer and Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
