Israel’s total victory over Hamas not possible, says Biden official
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Israel cannot achieve a “total victory” against Hamas, a top White House official has warned in comments likely to anger Benjamin Netanyahu.
Kurt Campbell, the US Deputy Secretary of State, said the Biden administration is struggling to see the vision of victory for Israel in Gaza.
“Sometimes when we listen closely to Israeli leaders, they talk about mostly the idea of ... a sweeping victory on the battlefield, total victory,” Mr Campbell said in a clear reference to the Israeli prime minister’s repeated pledge to defeat Hamas.
“I don’t think we believe that is likely or possible and that this looks a lot like situations that we found ourselves in after 9/11, where, after civilian populations had been moved and lots of violence that ... the insurrections continue.”
The official’s remarks signal further distance between Washington and the Netanyahu government just a few days after Joe Biden confirmed the US was withholding some weapons deliveries to Israel, fearing those bombs could be used in Israel’s offensive on the southern city of Rafah.
Separately, the prime minister of Qatar warned on Tuesday that the Middle East could face a wave of radicalisation unless there is a rescue plan for Gaza.
It comes as Israel has been battling a resurgent Hamas, re-emerging from pockets that were previously thought to be clear of militants.
Israeli tanks pushed deeper into eastern Rafah on Tuesday morning, entering three neighbourhoods. Residents told Reuters of clashes in the residential areas.
The IDF said its forces also expanded their operations in Gaza City’s Jabaliya neighbourhood in the north, striking “terror targets”.
Israeli troops claimed full control of the area at the end of last year.
The US now believes Israel had amassed enough troops outside Rafah for a full-on invasion, US officials told CNN. Washington is not sure that Israel will go ahead with the offensive.
The Netanyahu government has insisted that the invasion of Rafah, the only city in Gaza untouched by fierce fighting, is crucial to dismantling Hamas and achieving a lasting security for Israel despite the overwhelming global opposition to the move.
UN workers said on Tuesday thousands of displaced Palestinians fleeing Rafah are arriving at the central city of Khan Younis only to find the most basic infrastructure destroyed, with no water, no electricity and no sewage.
About 450,000 have heeded the IDF’s evacuation orders for the east of Rafah since last Monday.
The border crossing into Egypt on the outskirts of Egypt remained closed on Tuesday as aid groups urged Israel to resume operations there.
Neighbouring Egypt has been rattled by fighting on its doorstep so much that it is now considering options for downgrading its diplomatic ties with Israel, unnamed Egyptian officials told the Wall Street Journal.
While Egypt is not thinking about breaking off its peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of regional security, Cairo could pull its ambassador to Tel Aviv.
Israel on late Monday evening and Tuesday held muted celebrations for its Independence Day.
The main ceremony in Jerusalem decorating 120 IDF soldiers went ahead with Mr Netanyahu conspicuously absent.
In an alternative celebration, survivors of the Oct 7 massacre and families of the hostages on Monday night extinguished flames to symbolise their abandonment by the state. That same evening, Mr Netanyahu led a torch-lighting ceremony, which was pre-recorded and held without an audience in a clear attempt to avoid disruption after the prime minister was heckled at a Memorial Day event on Monday morning.
