Biden may limit military aid to Israel in case of operation in Gaza’s Rafah

Washington: US President Joe Biden could consider conditioning aid to Israel if it extends ground operations in the Gaza Strip to the southernmost city of Rafah on the border with Egypt, where around 1.4 million people are currently sheltering, Politico reported, citing unnamed US and Israeli officials.

Last week, Biden said he would continue to send necessary supplies for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system, but added that mass Palestinian casualties were a “red line” for him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, said he would still enter Rafah despite the warnings and that a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was only possible if the remaining hostages held by the Palestinian movement Hamas were released.

“It’s something he’s definitely thought about,” one of the officials was quoted as saying.

On the other hand, the operation in Rafah is not imminent; even if the order were given today, it would not start, an anonymous Israeli military official said. Palestinian refugees would have to be evacuated from the city before it could begin, and troops would have to be trained, the official added.

Israel is also yet to present a sound and feasible plan to protect the civilian population of Rafah, as the United States wants to see it before any action is taken, another US official said.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from Gaza and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. At least 31,100 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.