Israeli troops continue to battle Hamas terrorists on the outskirts of Rafah on Wednesday – as US officials said in a new report that the White House does not believe the Jewish State has crossed a “red line” in the operation despite speculation about the holdup of an American arms shipment.
After Israeli tanks rolled across the Rafah border crossing on Tuesday, the IDF has engaged with Hamas terrorists in a limited manner as thousands of Palestinians attempt to flee from the city, which had become the most populous city in Gaza following months of battle in the north.
The IDF said at least 30 Hamas gunmen have been killed in the fighting as troops in the 162nd division investigate buildings and facilities located near Rafah Crossing.
Prior to the incursion, the IDF said it launched a series of airstrikes in the area that took out about 100 targets and allowed troops to secure the border site.
The Jewish State has threatened to escalate the battle in Rafah to insert enough military pressure against Hamas to secure the safety of the more than 130 hostages remaining in Gaza.
The IDF is also looking to take out four Hamas battalions believed to be stationed in the city and harboring thousands of terrorists.
Rafah mayor Ahmed Al-Sofi warned that the battles are threatening even more civilian casualties in a city that had been sheltering more than a million refugees.
“The streets of the city echo with the cries of innocent lives lost, families torn apart, and homes reduced to rubble,” Al-Sofi, said in a statement. “We stand on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.”
The war, now in its seventh month, has left nearly 35,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, which does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.
The Biden administration, however, believes that the Rafah incursion, as it stands, does not cross a “red line” that could shift America’s policy on aiding Israel, two US officials told Axios.
A senior Israeli official added that President Biden “didn’t pull the handbrake on the capture of the Rafah crossing” during his call with Netanyahu on Monday.
The Biden administration, which has repeatedly said that the US would not support a full-scale invasion of Rafah without a proper plan to secure civilian lives, has remained on the tightrope over the IDF’s actions, downplaying the advancement while also cautioning Israel not to rush further.
Following the “limited” operation in Rafah, the White House allegedly stalled shipments of thousands of precision bombs bound for Israel, according to multiple media outlets.
It was the first such delay of its kind since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, with US officials telling Axios that US might place conditions on which of its shipments can be used pending a major operation in Rafah.
The White House has repeatedly skirted questions over the delay, saying only that the US remains committed to assisting Israel.
The IDF also played down the reports. When asked about the delay by local media Wednesday, chief military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, “We are responsible for the security interests of Israel and we pay attention to the US interests in the arena.”
The tense situation comes as delegations from Hamas, Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar congregated in Cairo to try and push through a cease-fire agreement after the terror group presented its own surprise proposal earlier this week, triggering outrage from the Jewish State.
With Post wires