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Blinken says US cannot support Rafah assault without humanitarian plan
Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half hours, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the US position and a UN warning that it would lead to "tragedy".
"We cannot, will not support a major military operation in Rafah absent an effective plan to make sure that civilians are not harmed and no, we've not seen such a plan," Blinken told reporters.
"There are other ways, and in our judgment better ways, of dealing with the ... ongoing challenge of Hamas that does not require a major military operation in Rafah," he said, adding that it was the subject of ongoing talks with Israeli officials.
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"When it comes to Rafah - we are committed to remove the last four of five Hamas battalions in Rafah - we are sharing our plans with Secretary of State Blinken," the spokesperson told a regular briefing.
"The progress is real but given the need, given the immense need in Gaza, it needs to be accelerated, it needs to be sustained," he said.
Blinken asked Israel's government to take a set of specific steps to facilitate aid to Gaza, where nearly half the population are suffering catastrophic hunger, he said.
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The United States is Israel's main diplomatic supporter and weapons supplier. Blinken's visit comes about a month after US President Joe Biden issued a stark warning that Washington's policy could shift if Israel fails to take steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.
