Israeli raid in Rafah rescues two hostages and kills dozens, officials say
Some Israelis want the government to agree to a deal that would release the remaining hostages in exchange for an end to the Israeli attack, fearing the offensive will endanger them. Mr. Netanyahu said in a statement on Monday that “only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all our hostages.”
Mr. Netanyahu says securing Rafah is crucial to Israel's goal of ending Hamas' control of Gaza. On Sunday he promised civilians there safe passage to areas in northern Gaza, although he gave no details.
President Biden, after a meeting at the White House on Monday with King Abdullah II of Jordan, reiterated U.S. concerns about an Israeli invasion of Rafah, saying it “must not proceed” without “a credible plan to ensure the security and support of more than to guarantee one country'. million people sheltering there.”
Mr. Biden called citizens there “exposed and vulnerable” and said, “They must be protected.”
He said the United States also continues to work toward an agreement between Hamas and Israel that would free the remaining hostages and pause the fighting for at least six weeks.
King Abdullah said the war must end.
“We cannot afford an Israeli attack on Rafah,” he said. “It will certainly cause a new humanitarian catastrophe.”
On Monday, Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman, said at a news conference in Washington that the Biden administration had expressed its concerns about the expected invasion to Mr. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
But Mr. Miller declined to say what action the United States might take if Israel did not heed his advice. When asked if the Biden administration was happy with the results so far of its efforts to influence the Israeli course of the war, he said: “In many cases we are absolutely not.”
More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel's military campaign, according to area health officials. Israel says about 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that an advance on Rafah could be devastating for civilians and worsen the humanitarian catastrophe already unfolding in Gaza, where people are dangerously short of food, clean water and medicine.
On Monday, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the United Nations secretary general, suggested the UN would have no role in Israel's evacuation plans. “We will not be a party to the forced displacement of people,” Mr. Dujarric said. “As things stand, there is currently no place in Gaza that is safe.”
Reporting was contributed by Michael Levenson, Iyad Abuheweila, Abu Bakr Bashir, Yan Zhuang, Gabby Sobelman, Mike Ives, Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Farnaz Fassihi, Andrés R. Martínez And Isabel Kershner.