US and Israeli officials discussed Rafah

(Patria) - Senior US and Israeli officials held a virtual meeting yesterday to discuss alternative proposals from the US administration for an Israeli military invasion of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, which Washington opposes.

US President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to launch a large-scale offensive in Rafah to avoid further civilian casualties among the Palestinian population in Gaza, where Palestinian health authorities say more than 32,000 people have been killed, reports RSE.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the US has expressed concern about a major ground operation in Rafah, the last relatively safe haven for more than a million displaced Palestinian civilians.

"If they want to proceed with a military operation, we need to have this conversation," Jean-Pierre told a press conference.

She added that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan would lead the talks from the US side.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit by a high-level Israeli delegation to Washington last week, as the US allowed the adoption of a ceasefire resolution in Gaza at the UN Security Council.

Two days later, Israel asked the White House to reschedule the high-level meeting on military plans for Rafah, officials said, in an apparent attempt to de-escalate tensions between the two allies.

The US, concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, wants Israel to consider an alternative to a ground invasion.

Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip began after October 7, when Hamas members killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli data.

The offensive has destroyed large parts of the Palestinian coastal enclave, with strikes on hospitals and infrastructure, while a severe food shortage prevails among the displaced population.