Biden to Speak with Netanyahu amid Israel's call for evacuation in Gaza
Biden to Speak with Netanyahu amid Israel’s call for evacuation in Gaza
NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden will have a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday following Israel’s military urging Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah before an upcoming offensive in southern Gaza City, the White House said in a statement.
Israel’s announcement comes despite Washington’s repeated stance against an invasion of Rafah without a comprehensive plan to assist civilians seeking shelter there, and amid ongoing negotiations with Hamas for a ceasefire.
“We can’t speak for IDF operations. We have made our views clear on a major ground invasion of Rafah to the Israeli government, and the president will speak with the prime minister today,” a spokesman for the National Security Council told AFP.
“We continue to believe that a hostage deal is the best way to preserve the lives of the hostages, and avoid an invasion of Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering. Those talks are ongoing now.”
Israel’s military on Monday called for the evacuation of Palestinians from eastern Rafah following a rocket strike by Hamas militants on a border area between Gaza and Israel that killed four Israeli soldiers.
The evacuation notice came after disagreements between Israel and Hamas regarding the Islamist group’s conditions to halt the seven-month-long conflict, discussed during weekend negotiations in Cairo.
Consultations between the United States and Qatar, mediators along with Egypt, were anticipated in Doha on Monday. However, according to state-affiliated media in Egypt, talks stalled following a rocket strike.
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