Less than a day after Biden’s warning to Israel, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the Palestinian militant group Hamas was suffering in Gaza.
The fact that Hamas has lost a military leader and a battalion should be considered in how Israel approaches Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge, Kirby added.
“Hamas today is not what it was six months ago,” Kirby said. “There are better ways to track what remains of Hamas in Rafah than with a large-scale ground operation.”
Kirby defended President Biden’s CNN interview on Wednesday night, in which the president said he would withhold offensive weapons against Israel if it launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah.
“If they actually go into these populated areas, they’re not going to be able to help us,” Biden said. “We are not running away from Israeli security. We are moving away from Israel’s ability to wage war in these areas.”
Biden already has about 3,500 bombs destined for Israel.
The warning was the most significant Biden has issued throughout the seven-month war in Gaza, raising tensions with Israel, a key U.S. ally, to new heights.
Biden faces pressure at home, particularly from protests on university campuses, as the war has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to storm Rafah, saying it is important to eliminate the remaining Hamas battalions.
Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared to deny Biden’s threat in a video address Thursday.
“If we have to be isolated, we will be isolated,” he said.
The United States has been concerned about Rafah for several months and has urged Israel to consider options other than large-scale military exercises.
Israeli forces are carrying out limited operations in Rafah and have already occupied a border crossing into Egypt, which is vital for humanitarian aid.
But Kirby said the U.S. could be forced to suspend other shipments if operations accelerate “significantly.”
“I hope that doesn’t happen,” he said. “We hope that Israel will not do such a thing.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
