Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has agreed to reschedule a high-level delegation scheduled to travel from Israel to Washington to discuss plans for the Rafah operation, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.
Days earlier, Netanyahu canceled a delegation that was due to meet with senior Biden administration officials this week after the US abstained from voting on a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
"The Prime Minister's Office has agreed to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah, and so we are now working with them to find a convenient date that works for both parties," said White House press secretary Karin Jean- Pierre to reporters, calling the rescheduling "a good thing."
No date has been finalized yet, but the meeting could take place as early as next week, an official told The Hill.
Relations between the United States and Israel have become strained ahead of a planned Israeli offensive in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, a military operation that U.S. officials have warned against because of the dense Palestinian civilian population at risk.
The canceled talks were aimed at thwarting Israel's plans for Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are hiding. White House officials said a ground invasion of the city without an agreed plan would create a humanitarian disaster.
Senior administration officials have been able to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the past two days, with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, CIA Director William Burns and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin having " constructive discussions", including on Rafah, a US official told The Hill.
Jean-Pierre told reporters that officials had "discussed how best to ensure the lasting defeat of "Hamas" in Gaza and the need to protect civilians".