White House national security communications adviser John Kirby disclosed on Sunday that U.S. officials are scheduled to engage in discussions with Israeli counterparts “hopefully this week” regarding Israel’s intentions to enter southern Gaza.
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Kirby stated that a conversation with Israeli officials is anticipated in the coming days regarding their plans to enter Rafah, a move that the Biden administration has cautioned against.
John Kirby (Credits: CNN)
When asked by CBS’s Margaret Brennan for further details about a meeting on the issue scheduled for Sunday, Kirby mentioned ongoing staff-level talks and expressed an expectation for a larger conversation with Israeli counterparts soon.
Last week, Kirby indicated plans for an in-person meeting with Israeli officials to discuss the potential invasion, reiterating the U.S. stance against such action in Rafah, where over a million people seek refuge from the conflict.
“We had a virtual meeting last week, we expect to have an in-person meeting with Israeli counterparts in the next week or so. We’re still narrowing down the schedule where we hope to be able to present in more detail.
NSC’s John Kirby (Credits: CBS News)
We are thinking about some of our alternatives, the kinds of things that we want them to learn from our own experiences, about how to do operations in this regard,” Kirby explained last week.
Israel has been signaling its intentions to invade the Gaza city of Rafah for weeks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicating that a date has been set for the military operation.
Rafah houses the largest refugee camp for Palestinians displaced by the war, with an estimated population of over 1.4 million people seeking shelter despite the ongoing conflict.
