News Desk - The Cradle
Tel Aviv has reportedly rescheduled meetings with US officials on talks for how operations in Rafah should commence
The rescheduling comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the initial trip in response to the US's failure to veto the latest UN resolution for a ceasefire in the strip.
An Israeli official cited by Reuters on 28 March said a new meeting was being organized and that Netanyahu may send a delegation by next week. The delegation will be led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, who are both close to the prime minister, according to a person familiar with the matter.
NBC reported a day earlier, citing a US official, that Israel has asked the White House to reschedule the meeting.
"The prime minister's office has agreed to reschedule the meeting dedicated [to Rafah] … So, we're now working with them to set a convenient date," said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre on 27 March.
According to Hebrew news outlet Channel 13, Washington plans to send US generals to help draw up the plans for Rafah. The generals are expected to arrive in Israel soon, the outlet added, noting that this was what happened when Israel began its ground assault on Gaza in late October.
The White House has been warning that a full-scale invasion of Rafah would isolate Israel further in the international community. Washington is instead pushing for more limited and smaller-scale operations in the city, which State Department spokesman Mathew Miller said on Wednesday would be successful in taking out Hamas commanders.
Israel believes Rafah is Hamas' final stronghold and that operating there is its key to victory in the ongoing war.
Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Wednesday that the US is trying to "shape" Israel's Rafah operation and is working to come up with "an alternative to a full-scale and perhaps premature military operation." Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar reported that day that Israel is working on a plan to evacuate civilians from Rafah into the heart of Gaza, in line with US demands for ensuring the safety of the city's population.
Yet the UN has recently warned that the people of Rafah have nowhere to go.
Earlier this month, POLITICO reported, citing US officials, that Washington would accept and support more limited "counterterrorism operations" rather than a full-scale invasion.
The US continues to assert, however, that it cannot dictate Israel and can only offer its advice.
The White House has said that a full-scale attack on Rafah would be a "disaster." The humanitarian situation in the city is dire, as over a million displaced Palestinians are stranded and besieged there.
Israel has stepped up airstrikes on the city, and several have been killed over the past 24 hours.
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