Biden sends top advisor to Israel, Egypt as civilian mayhem looms over Rafah

As Israel prepares to invade Rafah, the last city in the Gaza enclave, Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden’s top West Asia advisor, will be in Israel and Egypt to know about Benjamin Netanyahu’s operational plan and what is being done to secure the freedom of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

The Axios news website reported the development on the testimony of Israeli and US officials without naming them.

According to reports, the White House is concerned that ground operations in Gaza may lead to mass civilian casualties since a large number of Palestinians displaced from other regions in Gaza have found refuge in Rafah. On the other hand, Netanyahu is bent on carrying out operation in Rafah since the city remains the last bastion of Hamas, where, reportedly, three battalions of the terror outfit are still standing ground.

Moreover, Netanyahu has also brushed aside exhortations and outrage from several European countries over the planned attack on Rafah as also US warning on the issue.

Since the US is concerned about the fate of Palestinians in Rafah, McGurk is expected to look into the Israeli plan to execute the attack without causing civilian casualties. Israel too, reportedly, has agreed to share the attack plan- it has already been chalked out and would be presented to the security cabinet this week-as it has underlined that it would take US concerns into account.