ALBAWABA - Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, confirmed the Israeli visit following a phone conversation between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday, during which the two discussed the planned Rafah offensive, which Netanyahu has vowed to conduct.
Israel will send a team of officials to Washington to discuss its planned offensive on Rafah, the White House has announced, as the Biden administration believes that an attack would be a "mistake" and wants to urge Israel to allow in additional aid in the face of an impending famine in Gaza.
Sullivan stated that it was "first and foremost" Israel's responsibility "to step up and ensure that more is done to deliver food to starving people in northern Gaza," following a warning from UN agencies that famine was "imminent" in northern Gaza, with an onset date of any time between mid-March and May.
The operation, which Netanyahu has been threatening to conduct for weeks, if launched, would be putting the lives of more than 1 million Palestinians, who sought refuge after being forcibly displaced from their homes from the north, in great danger.
The White House said on Monday that President Joe Biden expressed his concern to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a possible operation in Gaza's southern city of Rafah.
The White House released a statement saying: "The President reiterated his deep concerns about the prospect of Israel conducting a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than one million displaced civilians are currently seeking shelter after fleeing fighting in the north,".
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
The latest statistics by the Ministry of Health in Gaza revealed that the death toll from Israeli brutal pounding on the Gaza Strip since October 7 has soared to 31,726 people, with more than 73,792 injuries.
Since then, approximately 85% of Gazans have been displaced, all of whom are suffering from severe food insecurity, and the healthcare system has collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of people lack shelter, and aid trucks are entering the area at a lower rate than before the conflict began.
