Blinken says Israel hasn't told US of any specific date for Rafah ground invasion

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said Israel has not apprised the U.S. of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but added that American and Israeli officials remained in contact to try to ensure that “any kind of major military operation doesn’t do real harm to civilians.” Blinken spoke a day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that a date has been set to invade Rafah.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Congress Tuesday that pressure on Israel to improve humanitarian aid to Gaza appears to be working, but he said more must be done and it remains to be seen if the improvement will continue. “It clearly had an effect. We have seen changes in behavior, and we have seen more humanitarian assistance being pushed into Gaza,” Austin said in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “Hopefully that trend will continue.

France’s foreign minister says his country is using “all levels of influence,” including threats of sanctions, to force Israel to open crossings with Gaza for vital humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians. France was the first country to propose European Union sanctions against violent Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in an interview Tuesday with French broadcasters RFI and FRANCE 24.

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Blinken says Israel hasn't told US of any specific date for Rafah ground invasionU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has not informed the U.S. of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Blinken spoke Tuesday, a day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that a date has been set to invade Rafah.
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