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The White House on Wednesday said the US wants to see a credible plan from Israel that addresses three main “realities” before it launches a major military operation on the southern Gazan city of Rafah.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden's administration is having “intensive” conversations with the Israeli government on the safety of civilians, access to humanitarian aid and the potential that Palestinians would be pushed into Egyptian territory.
“We need answers to the question, not only where do people go, but how do they get a sustained level of aid, food, medicine, water and shelter,” Mr Sullivan said during a briefing at the White House.
“And then, the third reality is that this is pressed right up against the Egyptian border. And you've heard directly from the Egyptians – they're concerned about what that could potentially mean on that border.”
The comments come as the Biden administration has been pushing for a six-week humanitarian pause during which aid could enter the besieged strip and hostages held by Hamas could be released.
Mr Sullivan said diplomatic efforts were still ongoing for a deal with “multiple phases” that would lead to hostages being released in increments, which would then open up “potential options for where things can go from there”.
Latest from the Israel-Gaza war – in pictures
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Displaced Palestinians hold a white flag as they pass an Israeli tank position while fleeing the Hamad Town district of Khan Younis. Bloomberg -
A Palestinian woman cuts material to be used for sewing nappies at a workshop in Rafah. AFP -
Smoke rises following an explosion in Gaza, as seen from southern Israel. AP -
Parachutes carrying relief for Palestinians drop from an Egyptian Air Force cargo plane over central Gaza. Bloomberg -
A Palestinian boy who is suffering from malnutrition is treated at a healthcare centre amid widespread hunger. Reuters -
Palestinian children attend an English class in the library of the school housing displaced people in Rafah, the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
An UNRWA-run school housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah. AFP -
Palestinians search for bodies and survivors in the rubble of a residential building destroyed in an Israeli air strike in Rafah. AP -
A wounded Palestinian man who lost his wife and daughter walks past a neighbours' house destroyed by Israeli bombing in Rafah. AFP -
An injured man is rescued from the rubble after an Israeli air strike on the Rafah camp in Gaza. EPA -
Palestinians walk amid the rubble of houses destroyed by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza city. AFP -
Aid is dropped into Gaza from US military aircraft. Reuters -
Palestinians gather at air lorries in Gaza. More than 100 were killed when Israeli troops opened fire. AP -
The sun sets behind destroyed buildings in Gaza. AFP -
A Palestinian man enters a heavily damaged house following an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
A wounded Palestinian is assisted at the site of an Israeli strike in Deir Al Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Palestinians gather in the hope of getting bags of flour carried by air lorries near an Israeli checkpoint in Gaza city, as the enclave's residents face crisis levels of hunger. Reuters -
Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues in Gaza. Reuters -
A displaced Palestinian child holds a crying baby in a camp in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters
Even before a major military campaign on Rafah, a shipment of much-needed flour has been blocked by Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, despite assurances to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that aid would flow through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
“That flour has not moved the way that we had expected would move and we expect that Israel will follow through on its commitment to get that flour into Gaza,” Mr Sullivan said.
“But we are asking the question, how do you do something like Rafah and sure all those innocent people are not only are protected physically but can have access to it?”
Mr Sullivan would not say what the Biden administration would do if Israel pressed forward with its military campaign in Rafah.
The comments come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch “powerful action” in Rafah after allowing civilians to leave, his government said on Wednesday.
Mr Netanyahu said he wants to press on with the war until Hamas, the group that attacked Israel on October 7, is eradicated.
But Israeli bombardments of the tiny coastal enclave by air, land and sea have killed more than 28,500 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians.
The Biden administration has strongly supported Israel's right to defend itself, but in recent weeks, it has been calling on Mr Netanyahu to conduct more surgical strikes and lower civilian casualties.
Mr Biden, who is running for re-election, has stopped short of condemning Israel's conduct in Gaza or placing conditions on military aid.
