US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States will not back any broad land invasion of Rafah. His remarks reflect the stance conveyed by the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He stressed that Washington has been clear in opposing a major ground operation in Rafah, a city with a civilian population of about 1.4 million people, many of whom have already been displaced from other areas of Gaza. The tone echoed by President Biden reinforces this position, underscoring the risk to civilians and the difficulty of conducting a safe, orderly evacuation under military pressure.
As the head of the State Department explained, there is no viable plan to evacuate residents of Rafah safely in the current security environment. A ground campaign, he warned, would place civilians in grave danger. The message conveyed is that alternative means should be pursued to meet strategic objectives while prioritizing civilian safety.
Blinken noted that Israel can address Hamas through other methods and affirmed that the United States will help Israel explore approaches that avoid a large-scale land operation. The intention is to support efforts that weaken Hamas while reducing the risk to civilians and regional instability.
At the same time, the United States has criticized Israel for actions that have impeded humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, reinforcing international concern about civilian access to essential supplies during ongoing hostilities.
The broader context involves a rapid escalation in the Middle East after a wave of violence on a single day when armed Hamas factions crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip. In response, the Israeli government declared a state of war, initiating a sequence of military operations aimed at countering the assault, recovering hostages, and degrading the capabilities of Hamas.
Officials have described the initial phase as a deliberate campaign that includes heavy rocket exchanges and attempts to disrupt critical services in the Gaza Strip. Early in the conflict, Israel moved to cut off water, food, electricity, and fuel supplies to the affected area as part of a broader strategy to pressure Hamas and compel strategic concessions.
Public statements from Israeli leadership have suggested that the fight against Hamas could extend over an extended period, with various projections about the duration and scope of the conflict. The evolving situation has drawn international attention to the humanitarian consequences, regional stability, and the future paths for negotiations and ceasefire arrangements.