Washington, D.C. – The United States has played down the deadly Israeli attack on Rafah, saying the offensive appears to be “limited” despite concerns about the fate of the more than 1.5 million Palestinians seeking refuge in the southern Gaza city.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. still opposes a major Israeli offensive against the city.
Israel stepped up its bombardment of Rafah on Monday, killing dozens of people, after it ordered about 100,000 residents in its eastern areas to evacuate. Israeli troops also stormed the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, which serves as a key gateway for humanitarian aid.
“This military operation that they launched last night only targeted the Rafah Gate,” Miller said Tuesday.
“It was not an operation in the civilian areas that they had ordered to be evacuated. “That is why we will continue to make it clear that we are against a major military operation in Rafah.”
Still, Miller acknowledged that the attack on the border crossing “looks like the prelude” to a larger offensive.
The Israeli attack closed the Rafah crossing, further straining the already inadequate flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Since October 9, Israel has tightened its existing blockade on the territory, pushing the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine.
The Rafah crossing also serves as an entry point for humanitarian workers traveling to Gaza, and seriously ill and injured people use it to leave the area and receive treatment abroad.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said 120 patients who were supposed to travel from Gaza to Egypt for treatment were prevented from leaving on Tuesday.
The closure of the border crossing has also blocked medical supplies and fuel needed to operate the remaining medical centers in the area, the ministry said.
“The situation of patients in Gaza hospitals has been very difficult since the beginning of the war due to the loss of medical equipment and the complete collapse of the health system,” the ministry said in a statement.
“We have travel lists for thousands of sick and injured people. And now they are prevented from leaving.”
At the State Department, Miller called for the border crossing to be reopened but also appeared to justify the Israeli attack that closed it.
“Hamas controlled the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing and Hamas continued to collect revenue from the opening of this crossing,” he told reporters.
“Therefore, depriving Hamas of revenue, money with which it could continue to finance its terrorist activities, is a legitimate goal. However, we want the crossing to be open and we will work to reopen it.”
On Saturday, Israel also closed the Karem Abu Salem border crossing, also known as Kerem Shalom, and barred aid trucks after Hamas launched a rocket attack on Israeli troops nearby, killing four soldiers.
On Tuesday, Miller falsely claimed that the Gaza-Israel border crossing had been “bombed” by Hamas, even though the crossing itself was not targeted.
When pressed about his claim, Miller said, “One could argue that it was the strike at Kerem Shalom that brought about the closure.”
“That said, you should be very clear about what our position is: we want it to stay open. We want it to open as soon as possible. They said they would open it tomorrow. We will work to make that happen.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the United Nations called on Israel to immediately reopen both border crossings.
The Israeli occupation of the Rafah Gate came hours after Hamas said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar that would include the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, as well as an eventual end to the war.
Israel rejected the deal but said it would begin further negotiations.
The government of US President Joe Biden was significantly involved in the talks. Miller declined to provide further details on Tuesday, but denied that Hamas had actually accepted the deal.
Instead, he said the Palestinian group responded to the proposal with suggestions as part of the negotiation process.
“We continue to believe that there is scope for an agreement and we are making an incredible effort to get an agreement across the finish line,” he said.