Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will travel to Washington “in the coming week”, the Israeli government announced on Wednesday, as pressure mounts to avoid a large-scale military operation in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. .
First official visit to Washington since the start of the war against Hamas
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had also previously announced the sending of a delegation “at the request of American President Joe Biden” to discuss this possible operation in Rafah, without specifying whether it would be in Washington at the same time as Yoav Gallant. The latter, whose first official visit to Washington since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, will meet his American counterpart Lloyd Austin, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense which does not specify when the meeting will take place.
The two men must address among other things “the evolution of the war against the terrorist organization Hamas (…) humanitarian issues and areas of bilateral military cooperation”, specifies the text. They will discuss “efforts to secure the release of all hostages, the need for more humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians and plans to ensure the safety of more than a million people taking refuge in Rajah,” a senior official said. American military official.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli military officials say an operation in Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas in Gaza, but the presence of 1.5 million civilians in the city, many of them displaced from other areas of Gaza, makes fear numerous civilian casualties and a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in the territory. Joe Biden said Monday that he had asked Benjamin Netanyahu to send a team to Washington to discuss ways to avoid a large-scale operation in Rafah.
On Tuesday, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the sending of two of his close collaborators, Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzahi Hanegbi, for discussions in Washington, without specifying the date.