The White House stated on Tuesday (May 28) that the deadly attack by Israel on Rafah in Gaza over the weekend did not cross the “red line” set by the United States, therefore, the U.S. will not change its current policy towards Israel.
White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said in a press conference on Tuesday, “We still believe that a large-scale ground operation in Rafah is not justified. As we have said, we still do not want to see Israeli forces entering large swathes of land in Rafah with a massive deployment.”
Kirby stated that regarding the consequences of Israel’s attack this time, “I have no policy changes to announce,” and added, “Things happened as they did. The Israelis will investigate the matter. We will closely monitor their findings during the investigation. We’ll see what the outcome will be.”
The Gaza Health Authority controlled by Hamas claimed that as a result of the attack launched by Israel on Sunday, a huge fire engulfed a displaced persons camp, resulting in 45 deaths and over 200 injuries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called this attack a “tragic mistake.” The Israeli Defense Forces are investigating this incident.
U.S. President Biden had previously stated that he would not support a large-scale military offensive by Israel against Rafah, as approximately one million Palestinians have settled there after fleeing the fighting in northern Gaza. Earlier this month, Biden ordered a halt to the delivery of a batch of heavy bombs to Israel, fearing that these bombs could be used to attack this city in southern Gaza bordering Egypt.
For months, the United States has been trying to persuade Israel not to launch a full-scale military operation in Rafah. Other international leaders have also emphasized that without sufficient security guarantees, an Israeli ground offensive may result in a significant number of civilian casualties.
However, Kirby stated on Tuesday that the weekend’s events were the result of Israeli air strikes, not a full ground operation.
“This air strike resulted in tragic consequences, but it occurred in the process where they used ammunition against the targets they were pursuing. This is no different from the other air strikes they have participated in Rafah in recent days and weeks, nor does it go beyond the nature of those other air strikes,” Kirby said. “Therefore, this air strike did not go beyond this scope, but obviously produced different results here, which is an incredible tragedy.”