US Allies Warn Israel Against 'Catastrophic' Rafah Operation, But What's on Netanyahu's Mind?

Amplifying a growing chorus of global concern, the leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand on Thursday, in a rare joint statement, warned Israel against a potentially “catastrophic” ground offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

Asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “not to go down this path”, the trio of Commonwealth nations expressed deep and growing worry about Israel’s prosecution of the months-long war. “About 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge in the area, including many of our citizens and their families,” the group of US allies said. “An expanded military operation would be devastating. We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path. There is simply nowhere else for civilians to go.”

In the face of the Israeli offensive, the death toll, according to Gaza authorities, has now topped 28,000. Netanyahu, who has vowed to press ahead, said Israeli forces will soon conduct a “powerful” operation in Rafah—a city filled with countless Gazans displaced by fighting elsewhere in the territory. Israel believes that Hamas operatives responsible for the October 7 attacks that killed around 1,160 people in Israel are holed up in the area, along with some of an estimated 130 hostages seized by the Palestinian Islamist group.

The United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel, has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try and broker a cease-fire and the return of the remaining 130 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, around a fourth of whom are believed to be dead. However, the Israeli PM blamed Hamas for making unrealistic demands during cease-fire negotiations in Cairo.

His remarks late Wednesday came hours after local media reported Netanyahu ordered an Israeli delegation not to return to the talks. “Israel did not receive in Cairo any new proposal of Hamas on the release of our hostages. PM Netanyahu insists that Israel will not give in to Hamas’s delusional demands. A change in Hamas’s positions will allow the negotiations to advance,” Netyanhu’s Office said in a post on X.

On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant held another call. A Pentagon readout said Austin stressed “the importance of safeguarding civilians and ensuring the movement of and access to humanitarian assistance before any operations against Hamas in Rafah.” It also said the two discussed the Israeli operation to rescue two hostages in Rafah and the negotiations on a hostage deal, adding that Gallant briefed Austin about Israel’s offensive in Khan Younis.

(With agency inputs)