At the end of a long conversation between senior officials from the U.S. and Israel regarding the Israeli military's operation in Rafah, the White House stated that "both sides agreed that the goal is to defeat Hamas in Rafah," and that another meeting on the subject will be held soon. It was also reported that the American officials expressed their concerns about several aspects of the proposed operation in Rafah, and the Israeli officials agreed to take these concerns into account. The conversation included, on the Israeli side, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, and representatives of the defense establishment, and on the U.S. side, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan participated, along with representatives from a number of government departrments. (Reuters)