Displaced Palestinians, who fled Rafah after the Israeli military began evacuating civilians from the eastern parts of the southern Gazan city, ahead of a threatened assault, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, travel in a vehicle, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
The White House said on Monday it was reviewing a response by Hamas to a ceasefire and hostage release deal, and continued to press Israel not to launch a large-scale military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
White House spokesperson John Kirby declined to provide any details of what had been agreed, saying he did not want to jeopardize any deal.
Kirby said U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for about 30 minutes about Rafah and the hostage and ceasefire proposal, before the Hamas response was received.
He described it as a constructive discussion.
“It wasn’t a pressure call, it wasn’t about twisting his arm towards a certain set of parameters,” Kirby said.
He said CIA Director William Burns was discussing the Hamas response with Israel. “We are at a critical stage right now,” he said. “It wasn’t like we had a heads up about it.”
Kirby told reporters Biden reiterated his clear position to Netanyahu that the United States does “not support ground operations in Rafah,” adding that Israel should not proceed with an invasion plan unless it shows how to protect hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians there.
CIA Director William Burns was in the region having discussions with Israel about the Hamas response.
“We are at a critical stage right now,” Kirby said. “It wasn’t like we had a heads up about it.”
Kirby told reporters Biden reiterated his clear position to Netanyahu that the United States does “not support ground operations in Rafah,” adding that Israel should not proceed with an invasion plan unless it shows how to protect hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians there.
