U.S. President Joe Biden was considering conditioning military aid to Israel if the IDF moves on Rafah, Politico reported late on Monday, citing four officials. “It’s something he’s definitely thought about,” one of the officials said.
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National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson refused to to comment on "speculation by anonymous sources."
The Washington Post last week revealed that the U.S. had approved 100 shipments of military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began. In the report, the paper said the Biden administration was considering ways to prevent Israel from using American weapons if populated areas around Rafah are attacked.
According to reports, the Biden administration fears that the Rafah operation is "half-baked" and will worsen the already difficult situation in the Strip without ending the war. Senior officials in the Biden administration said they didn’t see a clear plan for protecting over a million Palestinians who have taken refuge in Rafah.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News on Monday that Israel was not going to stop its military pressure on Gaza.
"I mean, we have to have that victory. We can't have three-quarters of a victory. We can't have two-thirds of a victory, because Hamas will reconstitute itself with these four battalions in Rafah, reconquer the Gaza Strip and do the October 7th massacre over and over and over again. And for us, for Israel, not merely for me, but for the people of Israel, that's a red line. We can't let Hamas survive."