(ConservativeFreePress.com) – On Tuesday, the White House revealed that the Israeli strike killing dozens of Palestinian civilians in Rafah had not crossed a “red line” that would require the U.S. to change its policy.
In multiple press briefings on Tuesday, several Biden administration officials described the images of Rafah as “tragic,” “heartbreaking,” and “horrific.” Yet, there were no signs of imminent policy changes given the strike was an airstrike and not a major ground operation.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House, told reporters that the White House didn’t “believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is warranted,” adding that the White House hadn’t “seen that at this point.”
Kirby added that there weren’t any “policy changes” he could “speak to” as a result of Sunday’s airstrike, noting that the strike “just happened” and pointing to Israel’s commitment to investigate the strike. He added that the White House would be “taking great interest” in the investigation’s findings and will proceed from there.
Earlier in May, President Joe Biden warned that if Israel launched its long-promised invasion of Rafah, the U.S. would stop supplying the nation with offensive weapons like artillery shells and bombs.
These warnings have also been accompanied by the White House urging Israel not to send its forces into Rafah without a clear plan to safely evacuate civilians. The war had already caused the deaths of thousands of Palestinians and prompted a million more to flee northern Gaza and settle in Rafah.
Last week, Jake Sullivan, National Security adviser, said there wasn’t a “mathematical formula” in place to assess Israel’s conduct in Rafah, and rather, officials will determine whether there is “a lot of death and destruction” in the region or whether the operation is “more precise and proportional.”
But on Tuesday, following Sunday’s airstrike, the deadliest incident in Rafah, administration officials claimed the operation did not prompt the White House’s warning.
Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary for the Pentagon, claimed it was the agency’s “assessment” that what occurred in Rafah “is limited in scope.”
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