U.S. President Joe Biden in Tel Aviv, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90.An Israeli diplomatic source expressed
concern on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden could “throw Israel
under the bus” amid the Israel Defense Forces operation against Hamas’s
final Gaza stronghold of Rafah, which got underway overnight Monday.
“The Biden administration says it is
committed to eliminating Hamas, but in practice it is pressing to avoid
action in the last major stronghold of the terrorist organization,
against the backdrop of elections there,” according to the source in
Jerusalem.
“But the Americans need to understand that
the factor that wants to delay Rafah is Iran, for whom keeping Hamas on
its feet is in its interest,” he added.
The comment comes after Biden
told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on
Monday that a ceasefire deal with Hamas is the best way to protect the
lives of the 132 hostages being held by the terrorist organization in
Gaza.
During the half-hour call, which the source described as “difficult,” Biden expressed his concerns over the looming Rafah operation.
According to a White House readout, the
president “reiterated his clear position on Rafah” and updated Netanyahu
on “efforts to secure a hostage deal, including through ongoing talks
today in Doha, Qatar.”
The Israel Defense Forces
took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt on
Tuesday morning, as tanks from the 401st Armored Brigade of the 162nd
Division rolled right up to the station.
Separately, the IDF’s Givati Brigade captured the Salah a-Din road in eastern Rafah in an overnight offensive.
The capture of the crossing comes after
the IDF announced on Monday night that it was conducting strikes against
Hamas targets in eastern Rafah. More than 100 sites were hit in the
city, where the majority of the terror group’s remaining forces are
located.
Israel’s War Cabinet on
Monday night decided unanimously to “continue the operation in Rafah to
exert military pressure on Hamas in order to promote the release of our
hostages and the other goals of the war,” per the Prime Minister’s
Office.
Earlier Monday, the IDF called on residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate to newly established humanitarian zones.
The Israeli source went on to say that,
“We are at a critical moment in the campaign. If the Americans turn
their backs on Israel, the implications for the entire region will be
severe. The initiation of the operation in Rafah is the only leverage
that could cause Hamas leader [in Gaza] Yahya Sinwar to agree to a
prisoner exchange deal, which is the only way to reach a larger deal
with Saudi Arabia.”
The source also revealed that the decision
to press forward in Rafah was approved by the Cabinet after all its
members agreed that the chances of a deal are currently nonexistent.
Originally published by Israel Hayom. JNS staff contributed to this report.
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