US official says US, Israeli officials will meet virtually on Rafah

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senior U.S. and Israeli officials plan to hold a virtual meeting on Monday to discuss alternative proposals from the Biden administration to an Israeli military offensive on Rafah, a U.S. official said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled plans for a senior Israeli delegation to visit Washington last week after the US allowed passage of a Gaza ceasefire resolution at the UN on Monday, bringing his relations with President Joe Biden to a wartime low. There was a new decline of. ,

That came two days after Israel asked the White House to reschedule a high-level meeting on military plans for Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, officials said, in an apparent effort to ease tensions between the two allies.

war in israel and gaza

RAFAH, GAZA - FEBRUARY 22: Palestinian families, who have been repeatedly displaced due to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, live in makeshift tents in an empty area in southern Rafah, Gaza, February 22, 2024.  (Photo by Abed Zagout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The United States, concerned about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, wants Israel to consider options for a ground invasion of Rafah, the last relatively safe haven for more than 1 million displaced Palestinian civilians.

The US team at the talks will be led by Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the official said.

Israel’s six-month military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 32,000 Palestinians, including 63 in the last 24 hours, according to Palestinian health officials.

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According to Israeli data, Israel’s retaliation began after the October 7 attack, in which Hamas militants breached the Israeli border, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Donna Chiaku and Chizu Nomiyama)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters,

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