The Israeli war cabinet approved an expansion of the Israeli Occupation Forces’ area of invasion in the southern Gaza city, Axios reports.
This decision occurs despite US President Joe Biden’s recent statement warning that if “Israel” were to invade Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians seek refuge, the US would cease supplying artillery shells, bombs for fighter jets, and other offensive weapons.
Sources familiar with the details told Axios that the expansion of military operations is “measured” and intends to address alleged security concerns without crossing Biden’s declared “red line.”
Other sources however suggest that the approved expansion may include actions that could be viewed by the US as violating Biden’s ultimatum.
The cabinet further directed the Israeli team engaged in negotiations for an exchange deal to persist in their efforts, the sources added.
The Israeli regime claims that Rafah serves as a stronghold for the Palestinian resistance to justify its increased military presence in the area.
Extremist ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich voted against the decision to stop the invasion. Instead, they advocated for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt negotiations and initiate a full-scale invasion of Rafah, as per the sources.
They also discussed measures being taken to address the humanitarian crisis, including efforts to reopen the Rafah crossing and resume aid shipments through “Kerem Shalom”.
But the repercussions of this blockade have already begun to unfold rapidly.
Earlier today, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital’s administration, a hospital located in the central Gaza Strip, announced that its facilities will run out of fuel in the coming 48 hours, forcing it to put its services on hold.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said that the fuel shortage, experienced by the hospital, will spur an imminent “humanitarian crisis.”
The office urged immediate intervention to supply all of Gaza’s medical facilities with energy supplies and to rehabilitate destroyed and damaged facilities.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the closure of the Rafah border crossing, which is the only available land pathway into the besieged Gaza Strip via Egypt, will affect fuel and aid supplied, as well as the movement of civilians.
OCHA said in a statement that the Strip’s hospitals will be out of service if energy supplies are not delivered to them within the next 24 hours.
The organization has also stated that all crossings into the southern Gaza Strip remain closed, cutting off supplies and preventing medical evacuations, and the movement of humanitarian staff.
