White House Says Israel Agrees to Listen to US Concerns Regarding Attack on Rafah

John Kirby. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday that Israel had agreed to listen to the concerns and thoughts of the United States before launching an invasion of the border city of Rafah in Gaza.

"They assured us we would not go to Rafah until we had the opportunity to really share our perspective and concerns with them," Kirby told ABC, as reported by Reuters, April 29.

The Israeli military is ready to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and attack Hamas strongholds there, a senior Israeli defense official said last Wednesday, despite international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Meanwhile, Washington has said it cannot support the Rafah operation without a proper and credible humanitarian plan.

"What we hope is that after six weeks of a temporary ceasefire, we might be able to get something more lasting," said Kirby, who also noted the number of aid trucks to the northern Gaza region was beginning to increase.

"Israel has begun to fulfill the commitments that (US) President (Joe) Biden asked them to fulfill," he continued.

Earlier this month, President Biden told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protect Palestinian civilians and foreign aid workers in Gaza, or Washington could curb support for Israel in its war against Hamas militants.

Separately, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit the region again this week, with Kirby saying he would continue to press for a temporary ceasefire that Washington wants for at least six weeks.

A Hamas official said a delegation from the militant group would visit Cairo on Monday for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire.