Israeli tanks and fighter jets bombarded parts of the city of Rafah today, local residents reported, amid promises by US President Joe Biden that he would stop arms supplies to Israel if the IDF launched a ground operation in the city, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Ceasefire negotiations continue in Cairo, and the Palestinian groups “Hamas” and “Islamic Jihad” reported that their fighters carried out attacks with anti-tank rockets and mortars on Israeli tanks that were concentrated on the eastern outskirts of the city.
Residents and medics in Rafah said an Israeli attack near a mosque killed at least three people and wounded others in an eastern neighborhood. Video footage from the crash site showed a mosque minaret standing on debris, two covered corpses and an injured man being evacuated, Reuters reported.
Residents also reported that an Israeli helicopter had opened fire on the eastern edge of the city, and that drones were circling over residential buildings in some areas. Israel claims that the fighters of “Hamas“ are hiding in Rafah, whose population has swelled with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge from the bombing.
Ceasefire talks in Egypt have made progress, but no agreement has yet been reached, Reuters reported, citing two sources in Egypt.
„In the last few hours, we have been changing, adding and removing points according to consultations with both sides,” said one source. The delegation of “Hamas” has left the talks and traveled to Doha for consultations, blaming Israel for the lack of agreement.
Biden issued his sharpest warning against a full-scale ground invasion since he said Israel had not provided a convincing plan to protect civilians in Rafah.
„I have made it very clear that if they invade Rafah, I will not send weapons,”, Biden said in an interview with CNN.
Israeli tanks took control of the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, cutting off a vital humanitarian aid route and forcing 80,000 people to flee the city this week, the United Nations said.
A statement by the Israeli military today about operations in Gaza did not mention Rafah, Reuters pointed out.
The United States is Israel's biggest supplier of weapons, having stepped up shipments after attacks by “Hamas” on October 7, which triggered the Israeli offensive in Gaza. Biden acknowledged that US bombs have killed Palestinian civilians for the past seven months.
US government officials said Washington has temporarily halted the delivery of 1,700 900-kilogram bombs and 1,700 230-kilogram bombs to Israel because of the risk to civilians in Gaza.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said that the US decision to temporarily suspend arms deliveries would seriously harm the country's ability to neutralize the military forces of “Hamas”, Israel Public Radio reported.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told "enemies and friends" to Israel that the country will do whatever it takes to achieve its military goals in Gaza.
Since Tuesday, meetings have been held in Cairo between delegations of “Hamas”, Israel, the USA, Egypt and Qatar. CIA Director William Burns traveled between Cairo and Jerusalem, meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.