Anadolu staff
19 March 2024•Update: 19 March 2024
JERUSALEM
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday accused Israeli officials of cooperating with the US administration to prevent a ground attack in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
"Some in Israel are cooperating with the Americans to prevent entry into Rafah,” Netanyahu told a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Netanyahu, however, did not name any official.
The accusation came one day after the Israeli premier spoke with US President Joe Biden over the phone on Monday, the first in a month.
Israel announced plans to conduct what it called a "major activity" in Rafah, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge from Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, following the evacuation of Palestinians to the western area of the city. Netanyahu approved plans for the military operation on March 15 despite international opposition to the planned assault.
Netanyahu claimed that he is facing US criticism due to his rejection of the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The Israeli premier opposes US efforts to allow the Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip following the end of the ongoing Israeli war on the blockaded territory.
Washington, for its part, argues that there must be a Palestinian authority or government in Gaza in the post-war period.
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last October, which killed some 1,200 people.
More than 31,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and almost 74,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar
