WASHINGTON, United States: The White House said on Tuesday that key ally Israel must reopen Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt, while expressing hope that a ceasefire deal with Hamas was within reach.
Israel sent tanks into the southern Gaza city of Rafah and seized control of the crossing, a key aid crossing, while warning it would step up its operations if truce negotiations failed to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
President Joe Biden declined to answer questions about the ceasefire talks and the Rafah operation, only smiling at reporters when he met his Romanian counterpart in the Oval Office.
“The crossings that have been closed need to be reopened, it is unacceptable for them to be closed,” Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, told a briefing.
He believed Rafah border crossing should be quickly reopened for humanitarian assistance.
Israel has already pledged to reopen another crossing at Kerem Shalom, which was closed after a rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers on Sunday, she added.
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The United States, Israel’s main military and diplomatic backer, has repeatedly said it opposes a major offensive in Rafah, home to more than 1.2 million displaced Palestinians.
But the White House said Israel told it the current operation was “limited scope, scale and duration.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said their Israeli counterparts told them that this operation on Monday was limited and designed to disrupt Hamas’ ability to smuggle weapons into Gaza. Washington will monitor the situation closely, he said further.
