Before the operation in
Rafah
, Israel must "ensure the safety" of the civilian population with "a credible evacuation plan".
In the first and only phone call for three weeks, President
Joe Biden
once again reiterated to Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu
the US's red line in view of the imminent ground operation in the last city of the Strip garrisoned by 4 Hamas battalions.
And to emphasize the need, instead, to "capitalize on the progress made in the negotiations to ensure the release of all the hostages as soon as possible".
The overall framework, however, the two leaders agreed, is the "common objective of seeing Hamas defeated and ensuring the long-term security of Israel and its population", without forgetting to increase aid to civilians in the Strip .
The US therefore remains opposed to any possible military action by Israel in an area occupied by hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians
.
The phone call appeared to be an attempt to resolve the glaring differences of opinion.
But, according to the Washington Post, the head of the White House and his advisors "are closer" than ever "to a break with Netanyahu, no longer considered a productive partner who can be influenced even in private."
A frustration which, according to the same source, "has pushed some of Biden's advisors to put pressure on the president to be more critical in public regarding the Israeli prime minister for his military operation in Gaza".
However, Bibi and the leadership in Jerusalem do not seem willing to change their mind
.
"Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah - Netanyahu explained in one of the various interviews given to US networks - are essentially telling us to lose the war. Keep Hamas there. We will take the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which it is the last bastion. Total victory is near."
Then he insisted: you can have the destruction of Hamas and the release of the hostages, "they are not mutually exclusive".
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was also clear: "the deepening of operations in Gaza brings us closer to a realistic agreement for the return of the hostages."
Cairo is also putting pressure on Israel and Hamas
, worried that Israeli troops will arrive in Rafah one step away from its border.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Egyptian mediators have warned the Islamic faction that if it does not reach an agreement with Israel within two weeks, the Israeli army will launch the ground operation in Rafah.
On the other hand, Hamas warned that the intervention "will scupper the hostage exchange talks
".
Cairo, which has finished the construction of a new concrete wall about 14 kilometers long on the border with Gaza, has warned Israel about the consequences of the operation in Rafah.
And he reiterated that this could put the 1979 peace treaty with Israel at risk.
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