Senior US and Israeli officials will discuss the Israeli army’s military operations in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah virtually. A US official said the meeting will be held on Monday (April 1). British news agency Reuters reported this news.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled visit to Washington by an Israeli delegation last week. He took this decision to protest against the UN Security Council’s failure to veto an immediate ceasefire proposal in Gaza. In this way, US President Joe Biden’s relationship has reached its lowest point since the start of the Israeli invasion of Gaza in October.
Israeli officials asked the White House to reschedule the high-level meeting after Netanyahu canceled it. The meeting is expected to discuss military plans for the Israeli operation in Rafah. Officials say that this initiative is being taken as an attempt to reduce the tension between the two allied countries.
The US is concerned about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Biden administration wants Israel to consider possible options before launching a ground operation in Rafah. The town of Rafah has so far been fairly safe amid the Israeli occupation. More than 1 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the city.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will lead the US delegation to the virtual talks, US officials said.
The number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7 has exceeded 32,000. At least 75 thousand 92 people were injured. And the Hamas attack killed 1,139 Israelis and took 253 hostages to Gaza.
