Israel Gaza: Operation in Rafah doesn't cross US red lines - White House

The White House has declared that Israel's maneuvers in Rafah don't qualify as a significant deployment of forces that could breach a red line for President Joe Biden and lead to a potential shift in US policy.

John Kirby, who represents an organization, spoke to journalists several hours after Israeli troops arrived at the heart of the city located in the southern part of Gaza. It's been reported that they took control of a hill that holds crucial significance.

In a recent statement, Mr. Biden expressed his intention to restrict the distribution of weapons to Israel in the event that they enter the "population centers" of Rafah. This area is thought to be housing hundreds of thousands of civilians seeking refuge.

During the recent questioning, Mr Kirby was asked about an attack launched by Israel which led to a fire outbreak causing the death of no less than 45 Palestinians.

A lot of the individuals at the shelter for those who have been displaced were either females, minors, or senior citizens.

The Israeli military has claimed responsibility for a strike that resulted in the death of two high-ranking members of Hamas. They also suspect that the gunfire originated from an explosion that happened near a weapons facility owned by Hamas.

During his conversation with journalists, Mr Kirby expressed that the pictures following the attack were very sorrowful and terrible.

He further stated that there should be no casualties of innocent individuals due to this disagreement.

The department of state of the United States mentioned that it was carefully monitoring the actions of the Israeli military, as it is expected to carry out a comprehensive inquiry rapidly.

When asked by Tom Bateman, a BBC reporter, if previous inquiries had resulted in responsible parties being held accountable for their actions, Matthew Miller, a representative from the state department, chose not to cite any specific instances.

He stated that it is not possible to come to a decision regarding the outcome of these examinations when a disagreement is ongoing.

The White House representative was questioned on whether the attack had gone beyond the constraints that President Biden had imposed beforehand. In response, the spokesman stated that there were no modifications to the policies that they could disclose.

According to Mr. Kirby, we do not approve of or endorse a significant land operation in Rafah, and we will not provide assistance towards such an effort.

The president mentioned that if such a situation happens, he might need to reconsider his support and come up with new decisions.

So far, it hasn't occurred. To date, there hasn't been any instance of them crashing into Rafah.

We haven't observed them deploying significant groups of soldiers in an organized fashion to attack multiple targets simultaneously. They haven't utilized large units or marched in formations.

Israel has asserted that capturing Rafah is crucial to winning the seven-month long war with Hamas in Gaza and brushed off concerns about the disastrous impact on humanitarian conditions.

On May 6th, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initiated what they referred to as "targeted" ground actions against Hamas militants and infrastructure situated in the eastern region of Rafah.

From that point forward, armored vehicles and soldiers have been slowly advancing towards the densely populated eastern and central regions, as well as making progress northward along the border that spans a distance of approximately 13 kilometers (or 8 miles) adjacent to Egypt.

On May 8, President Biden talked to CNN and conveyed that he had already emphasized to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will not provide the weapons that were previously utilized to handle Rafah and other urban issues if they enter Rafah.

According to him, he hadn't stopped providing weapons at that time as Israel hadn't entered the residential areas of Rafah yet. He added that Israel was conducting its operations strictly along the border.

The leader of the country is experiencing an increase in demands from fellow citizens to exert more force on the Israeli officials in order to reduce the damage caused by the battle on human lives.

Senator Chris Van Hollen from the Democratic party went to Gaza in January and shared his concerns with the Washington Post. He believes that there are too many innocent people dying and the humanitarian crisis is getting worse. To prevent further damage, he suggests that the Biden administration should stop providing military assistance to Netanyahu's government until they agree to President Biden's demands, which include facilitating aid distribution in Rafah and providing urgent humanitarian aid.

In the location of where Israel carried out a fatal attack in Rafah

During his speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Mr. Netanyahu acknowledged that the strike on Sunday was a terrible accident. However, he made a promise to proceed with the Rafah operation despite the mishap.

After the strike occurred, a representative from Gaza's civil defence agency, Mohammad al-Mughayyir, shared with AFP news agency that they witnessed bodies that were burnt and separated limbs. They also saw injured children, women, the elderly, and a few instances where amputations were necessary due to the severity of the attack.

Muhannad, who is also a displaced resident of Gaza, witnessed the air strike and recounted that the sound was followed by an abrupt illumination of the sky.

According to Hamad, who was also present at the site, if rockets hit a residential building several people would die and become martyrs. So, consider the extent of damage they could cause if they hit tents.

The assault has sparked demonstrations from neighboring administrations, such as Egypt and Qatar, who have facilitated discussions between the opposing groups. Additionally, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have also expressed their disapproval of the attack.

Egypt accused the strike of being a deliberate plan to make it impossible for people to live in Gaza, while Qatar expressed concern that it went against international law and could make it harder for attempts to broker a peace agreement.

Jordan has accused Israel of committing continuous war crimes, while Saudi Arabia has criticized the never-ending massacres. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, made a strong statement that they are determined to bring the barbarians and murderers to justice.

According to the United Nations, approximately one million individuals have left Rafah due to the ongoing strife. Nevertheless, there is a possibility that several hundred thousand more individuals might still be taking refuge in the area.

The people living in the city informed that there was a lot of bombing in the western parts during Monday night, and on Tuesday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) declared that they were still carrying out missions against "terrorist objectives."

According to onlookers, Israeli tanks were positioned at the al-Awda roundabout, which is a significant landmark that houses multiple major banks and government establishments.

According to a person who was present, the Israeli military positioned themselves on top of a structure and began firing at any motion. It is not possible to confirm this accusation without further investigation.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Sam Rose, reported from Rafah to the BBC News. He stated that the attacks in Rafah had increased significantly in the past day, and the military operations have advanced towards the Tal al-Sultan area in the city's west. UNRWA is responsible for providing aid to Palestinian refugees and is a humanitarian organization under the United Nations.

This encompasses the tented camp that was targeted a couple of nights ago. It also covers a sizeable UNRWA logistics hub and the UNRWA Health Centre, which plays a pivotal role in the aid mission in Rafah. This has been the case for several months.

Over the last day, these areas of the town have been greatly deserted. The people are genuinely worried, feeling emotionally numb and experiencing true fear at this moment.

On Tuesday, there were reports that Israeli tank shells struck a tent camp in al-Mawasi near Rafah, causing the death of at least 21 individuals, according to local officials. However, the Israeli military rebuffed these claims and denied that they were responsible for the tragic incident.

The occurrence was captured on videos that were uploaded to social media, and after careful examination by BBC Verify, it was observed that a number of individuals sustained grave injuries.

It was not evident if there was an explosion area or a depression on the ground, which made it challenging to determine the reason for the event. Based on the nearby constructions, the site is situated below the area allocated by the Israeli army for humanitarian purposes.

Israel began a military operation in Gaza to eliminate Hamas after they attacked southern Israel on 7th of October. Around 1,200 individuals lost their lives and 252 were held captive as a result of this attack.

According to the health ministry controlled by Hamas, the number of individuals who have lost their lives in Gaza now stands at 36,090.