On March 25, Reuters reported that the White House had said on Monday that it was “very disappointed” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had canceled a high-level Israeli delegation’s trip to Washington D.C. This comes as the U.S. had abstained from a United Nations vote to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters “It’s disappointing. We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington, D.C. to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to them going in on the ground in Rafah”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, is separately meeting with U.S. officials to discuss the Israeli hostages, humanitarian aid, and protecting civilians in Rafah, according to Reuters.
When asked about the proposed Israeli offensive into Rafah, Kirby said “Nothing has changed about our view that a major ground offensive in Rafah would be a major mistake”.
When asked about the Israeli offensive in Rafah, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said “There is nowhere for these people to go and be safe” according to The Jerusalem Post.
This comes as global outcry has occurred about the high civilian casualties stemming from earlier Israeli operations. There are 1.4 million Palestinians in Rafah, with most taking refuge in the city from Israeli operations in the north of Gaza, according to ABC News.
This is developing.
