WASHINGTON, United States: US President Joe Biden, seeking to push for a ceasefire in Gaza, warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday against an invasion of Rafah as Israel defied evacuation orders and carried out intense airstrikes on the crowded Gaza City.
The United States said it was examining the response of Hamas, which said it had accepted an agreement to end the seven-month war and free hostages with CIA Director Bill Burns in the region to negotiate through Arab allies.
Biden told Netanyahu in April that an invasion of Rafah would be a “mistake,” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken told him in Jerusalem last week that no offensive should take place for the safety of the more than one million civilians sheltering there.
“The president reiterated his clear position on Rafah,” the White House said in a brief read of the call.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said afterward that the United States had yet to see a humanitarian plan that is credible and that is workable.
“We believe that a military operation in Rafah right now would dramatically increase the suffering of the Palestinian people (and) lead to increased civilian casualties,” Miller told reporters.
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But hours after the call between Biden and Netanyahu, Israel issued its second warning of the day for Palestinians to evacuate Rafah and said it was preparing for a ground invasion.
Israel launched intense airstrikes on Rafah late Monday that were virtually continuous for 30 minutes, according to media reports.
Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas after its October 7 attack.
In a televised speech, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli planes hit “more than 50 terrorist targets” around Rafah on Monday.
In an election year, Biden is under increasing domestic pressure over the war in Gaza, with pro-Palestinian protests roiling American university campuses.
New York’s prestigious Columbia University, which has been at the center of protests, announced Monday that it has canceled its major graduation ceremony next week.
King of Jordan
Biden also discussed the development at a closed-door lunch with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
The King asked Biden to intervene with Israel, saying the Israeli attack on Rafah “threatens to lead to a new massacre,” according to a Jordanian statement.
Egypt, which neighbours Rafah and has a peace treaty with Israel, and Qatar, a US ally that is also home to Hamas leaders, have spearheaded the ceasefire talks.
Israel’s apparent determination to assert itself in Rafah underscores the difficulty Biden has faced with any leverage as Israel’s main military and diplomatic backer.
In early April, after months of unwavering support, Biden warned Netanyahu that U.S. policy toward Gaza hinged on protecting civilians and aid workers.
