US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said today during his visit to Israel, that he has not yet seen a humanitarian plan to protect Palestinian civilians in the framework of the Israeli army's planned offensive in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The agency said the top US diplomat was speaking at a briefing in the Israeli Mediterranean port city of Ashdod.
Earlier today in Israel, Blinken met with the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then, together with Defense Minister Yoav Galant, inspected the flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom checkpoint.
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Reuters points out that Blinken's meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem lasted two and a half hours, after which Israel confirmed that it would carry out its ground operation in the city of Rafah regardless of the US position and despite a stern warning from the UN that such an advance will lead to a "tragedy".
"The United States cannot and will not support a large-scale military operation in the city of Rafah that lacks an effective plan to ensure that civilians are not harmed. We have not seen such a plan," Blinken said to media representatives.
"There are other ways, and in our view they are better ways, to deal with... /.../ the current challenges from "Hamas" that do not require a large-scale military operation in Rafah", Blinken added.
A spokesman for the Israeli government announced that Israel remains determined to destroy the militant formations of "Hamas" which are stationed in Rafah.
"As for Rafah, we are determined to remove the last four or five battalions of "Hamas" there. And we have shared our plans with Secretary of State Blinken," said an Israeli government spokesman quoted by Reuters.
Speaking in Ashdod, Blinken reported "significant progress" in the transit regime by Israel of the flow of humanitarian aid intended for the Palestinian population in Gaza.