Adviser to the President of the US on National Security Jake Sullivan cited three reasons for the concern of the Joe Biden administration over the announced mass offensive by Israel on the city of Rafah on the border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt, according to Jake Sullivan's press briefing on March 18.
The President's Adviser noted that over a million people have found shelter in Rafah after repeatedly fleeing from other cities in the Gaza Strip.
"They have nowhere else to go. Gaza's other major cities have largely been destroyed, and Israel has not presented a plan to us or the world with a plan for how or where they would safely move those civilians, let alone feed and house them, and ensure access to basic things like sanitation," Sullivan said.
The second reason for concern, he said, is that the border town of Rafah is also a major entry point for humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip from Egypt and Israel. According to Sullivan, in the event of an IDF offensive, the city will be closed or severely restricted at the moment when it is most needed.
"Third, Rafah is on the border with Egypt, which has voiced its deep alarm over a major military operation there and has even raised questions about its future relationship with Israel as a result of any impending military operation," the US National Security Adviser noted.
Israel-Hamas war and the operation in Rafah
After the attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel on October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip, which is ongoing.
On March 17, the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the IDF was prepared to begin a ground invasion of the city of Rafah near the border with Egypt in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, ahead of the planned ground assault on the city, Israel has promised to evacuate 1.4 million residents of Rafah to humanitarian zones in the central part of the Gaza Strip.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has stated that Israel's attack on Rafah will complicate the situation in the region. According to him, peaceful Palestinians are at risk of starving to death in the Gaza Strip.
