Jerusalem (Union)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced yesterday that Israel intends to expand the scope of its military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to defeat Palestinian factions and free the hostages, despite American concerns.
Gallant was speaking during a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Tel Aviv, Israeli Radio reported. The meeting was also attended by Israeli Chief of Defense Staff Herzi Halevy.
Gallant’s office said that he briefed Sullivan on developments in the war in Gaza, as well as on the multiple efforts made to ensure the return of 128 hostages held by the factions. Gallant also presented plans to provide humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip.
The statement said: “These plans include major efforts to evacuate the civilian population in Rafah, facilitate the provision of humanitarian services, and work accurately to avoid harming uninvolved civilians.”
Tensions on Israel’s borders with Lebanon were also discussed.
Sullivan had once again called on the Israeli government to link its military operation in the Gaza Strip to a political strategy. The White House’s request came the day before yesterday, following Sullivan’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem.
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden warned of the consequences of carrying out a major military operation in Rafah, as this could cause a large number of civilian injuries and deaths.
The Israeli Prime Minister wrote on the social media platform “X” following the meeting that they discussed in detail the continuation of the war in Gaza, specifically in Rafah, and the intensification of humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.
The White House said that Sullivan also proposed a series of measures to ensure more aid reaches the besieged Gaza Strip, and discussed steps to establish stable corridors within the coastal enclave to ensure aid reaches all civilians in need.
Meanwhile, a series of Israeli raids and artillery shelling on Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Yunis, and the Jabalia and Bureij camps claimed the lives of a number of Palestinians, including children and women, at dawn yesterday.
The Palestinian News Agency “Wafa” reported that occupation aircraft bombed a house in the vicinity of Al-Qadisiyah School in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood, west of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, killing 3 and wounding at least 8. The Brazil neighborhood in the center of the city also witnessed similar air strikes, with no reports of casualties.
A number of Palestinians were killed, and others were injured, in a raid that targeted the vicinity of Sheikh Zakariya Mosque in the Al-Daraj neighborhood in central Gaza City, while artillery shelling targeted the eastern areas of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of the city.
Various areas in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and the Jabalia and Bureij camps witnessed a series of Israeli raids, resulting in the injury of a number of Palestinians.
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