Israel informed Biden administration officials this week of a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians ahead of a potential operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah to root out Hamas fighters, US officials familiar with the negotiations said.
The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive exchange, said the plan detailed by the Israelis did not change the US administration’s view that continuing the operation in Rafah would put too many innocent Palestinian civilians at risk.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to carry out a military operation in Rafah despite warnings from President Joseph Biden and other Western officials that it would result in more civilian deaths and worsen an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to launch a ground attack on Rafah “with or without” a deal with Hamas.
Speaking at a meeting with the families of the hostages, Netanyahu said that Israel had begun evacuating Palestinian civilians from Rafah, his office said.
“We will enter Rafah and eliminate the Hamas battalions there, with or without an agreement, in order to achieve a complete victory,” he said.
Israel considers Rafah the last major stronghold of Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. Rafah is the southernmost city of Gaza, where about 1.2 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
He made the remarks as Israeli and Hamas negotiators were in Egypt-brokered talks on a ceasefire agreement for the nearly seven-month conflict in Gaza, which would secure the release of the hostages, Xinhua reported.
