US President: Israeli military operation in Rafah causes problems with Egypt

CAIRO – 9 May 2024: US President Joe Biden stated that the ongoing Israeli limited military ground operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah is causing problems with Egypt, with which the United States of America worked very hard to maintain a relationship and provide assistance.

“They [the Israeli troops] haven’t gone into the population centers [of the displaced Palestinians in Rafah]. What they did is right on the border. And it is causing problems with, right now, in terms of – with Egypt, which I have worked very hard to make sure we have a relationship and help,” said Biden in an interview to the CNN on Wednesday.

The US President announced for the first time that he would ban sending American military equipment to Israel if the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a major invasion into the Palestinian city of Rafah, where more than 1.1 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they have not gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I am not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem,” the US President was quoted as saying by the CNN.

Israeli forces launched on May 6 a limited ground operation in the Palestinian city of Rafah despite the international warnings, especially by Egypt, Jordan and the United States of America. This operation resulted in closing the only operating border crossings of Rafah and Karam Abu Salem and, consequently, suspended the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Cairo is hosting a round of indirect negotiations with the participation of all parties (Hamas, Israel, Qatar, and the US), to reach a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner swap deal between Hamas and Israel.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Thursday that Israel has killed 34,904 Palestinians and injured 78,514 since last October 7.