Israel launched a “limited” military operation in Rafah on Tuesday, seizing the crucial border crossing point with Egypt.
US President Joe Biden has warned Israel that Washington will stop supplying it with certain weapons if it continues its long-threatened ground offensive in Rafah.
It is the strongest warning ever issued by Israel’s most staunch ally, amid growing concern for displaced Palestinian civilians living in the southern city of Gaza.
Mr. Biden, however, toned down his warning, saying that the United States “would continue to ensure that Israel is safe.”
On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington had already suspended a shipment containing thousands of bombs.
“They have not yet launched a large-scale military operation”did he declare. “We continue to be concerned about a possible operation in Rafah. We have been very clear about this. We have made this clear to the Israeli government privately and, of course, everyone from the president on down of the ladder, made it clear in public.”
Israel’s plans to enter Rafah to eliminate Hamas battalions it says are based there have come under heavy criticism from the international community.
More than 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of the population of the Gaza Strip, have found refuge in Rafah, on the advice of the Israeli army which declared this area safe.
The majority of them live in improvised camps, under tents, with limited access to food, water and health care.
“Our commitment to Israel’s security is unwavering”declared the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin. “That said, we are reviewing some short-term security assistance deliveries in the context of events unfolding in Rafah.”
Israel launched a military operation on Tuesday “limited” in Rafah, seizing the crucial border crossing point with Egypt in an attempt to prevent deliveries of arms and funds passing through there to Hamas.
The day before, the Israeli army had ordered some 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate the east of the city to a “humanitarian zone” located in the coastal municipality of Al-Mawasi.
The United Nations estimates that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “extremely fluid” and that agency personnel continue to face a range of challenges, including active military operations.
“At present, no goods have been transported for use in humanitarian operations, either through the Karem Shalom crossing point or the Rafah crossing point in the Gaza Strip”declared Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary general.
The Israeli military, however, said the Kerem Shalom crossing point was reopened to humanitarian vehicles on Wednesday, after being closed last weekend following a Hamas rocket attack.
