The White House said Biden and Netanyahu spoke by phone to discuss “ongoing efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas.”
Accordingly, Biden reiterated his view that Netanyahu “should not launch a military operation without a credible and viable plan to ensure the safety of more than 1 million people in Rafah.”
According to the statement, US President Biden “called for immediate and specific steps to improve the efficiency and consistency of humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinian civilians.” Biden also reaffirmed “the shared goal of seeing Hamas defeated and ensuring the long-term security of Israel and its people.”
Israel prepares to attack Rafah city
In a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on February 9, Binyamin Netanyahu instructed the army and security services to prepare a plan to attack the southern Gaza Strip and displace the approximately 1.5 million Palestinians who had taken refuge there.
City of prosperity
Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt, is a refuge for thousands of people displaced by Israeli attacks. At 2.3 million, the city is home to nearly half of Gaza’s population.
Israeli forces frequently target Rafah city with airstrikes. There is concern that if Israel launches a ground offensive on Rafah, civilians will have no shelter in the Gaza Strip.
Since October 7, 28,176 Palestinians, including at least 12,000 children and 8,190 women, have been killed and 67,784 people have been injured in Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip.
While thousands of dead are still reported under the rubble, civilian infrastructure is also being destroyed by targeting hospitals and educational institutions where people seek refuge.
