WASHINGTON: The US President Joe Biden Monday warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a major ground military operation in Gaza’s Rafah town would be a mistake.
The development comes as the two leaders spoke for the first time in a month amid growing tensions between Israel and the US.
The White House said Netanyahu had also agreed to Biden’s call to send a delegation of senior Israeli officials to Washington to talk about Israel’s Rafah plans.
Biden has been vocal in his criticism of the Palestinian death toll in Gaza and dire humanitarian situation in the area.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told a media briefing on Monday said the president during conversation discussed the prospect of Israel in carrying out major military operation in Rafah.
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Sullivan went on to say a major ground offensive in Gaza would be a major mistake and lead to more innocent deaths and deepen dire humanitarian crisis, while isolating Israel internationally.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, nearly 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children.
Biden earlier this month directed the US military to begin airdrops of food into the besieged enclave, and is dispatching American troops to build a temporary port for maritime assistance.
