U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he has still not seen a plan for Israel's planned offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault.
"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.
Blinken toured the Gaza border region with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, visiting the Kerem Shalom border crossing, where humanitarian aid enters the Gaza Strip. They also visited Kibbutz Nir Oz and saw the destruction there caused by the Hamas massacre on October 7.
At Kerem Shalong the two men walked between the stations stations at the crossing and observed the cargo inspection process. "We discussed how to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza, which also allows for the expansion of operational efforts, Gallant said. "We are determined to take every action to bring our hostages back home - it's morally and ethically right, and it's the goal of a declared war."
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
(Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/ AP)
Gallant also said that the IDF, was prepared to carry out "any operational mission in Rafah."
Earlier Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and according to the American State Department, clarified that the Biden administration currently opposes any operation in Rafah.
Blinken also visited the port of Ashdod accompanied by National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi. to observe the seamless process of unloading aid ships, the inspection procedures, and the dismantling and transportation process to warehouses and from there to Gaza.
The visit took place a few hours after the completion of the unloading process of about 400 food parcels from the United Arab Emirates, which arrived on a ship from Larnaca in Cyprus. For Blinken, it was important to witness the process in order to report to Congress next week on Israel's compliance with its obligations under international law.
Meanwhile, the Erez Crossing was opened to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip for the first time since the outbreak of the war.
" Some 30 trucks carrying humanitarian aid arrived from Jordan and were allowed entry after thorough security checks," the military said. "The aid includes food and medical supplies for the northern Gaza area."