The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said he remains determined to carry out a ground invasion of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah – where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering – despite the misgivings of US president Joe Biden.
Netanyahu told lawmakers on Tuesday he had made it “supremely clear” to the US president “that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there’s no way to do that except by going in on the ground”.
After the two leaders spoke on Monday, White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that the US believed that storming Rafah would be a “mistake” and that Israel could achieve its military aims by other means.
In his comments on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that he would wait to hear proposals from the US “out of respect to the president” about ways to protect the civilian population in Rafah before ordering the operation.
But he said he did not see any alternative to a ground offensive if Israel was to carry out its goal of destroying Hamas.
“We have a debate with the Americans over the need to enter Rafah, not over the need to eliminate Hamas,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli officials have said that Rafah, located on the Egyptian border, is Hamas’ last major stronghold in Gaza. An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians – over half of Gaza’s population – have taken refuge in Rafah after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the territory.
The White House has said it will not support a Rafah operation without the Israelis presenting a credible plan to ensure the safety of Palestinian civilians.
White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden had asked Netanyahu to send a senior team of military, intelligence and humanitarian officials to Washington for comprehensive discussions on the planned operation in Rafah.
Details were still being worked out, but the meeting would probably occur early next week, she said, adding that the White House urged Israel to do more to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
The war was triggered when Hamas fighters crossed into Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and capturing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Nearly 32,000 people have been confirmed killed in Israel’s retaliatory onslaught, according to Palestinian health officials, with thousands more feared lost under the rubble.
Late on Tuesday, an Israeli airstrike on a major roundabout killed 30 people from groups that had formed to secure the entry of aid trucks into Gaza City, Hamas media said.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the UN said that Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza may amount to the war crime of deliberate starvation.
“The extent of Israel’s continued restrictions on entry of aid into Gaza, together with the manner in which it continues to conduct hostilities, may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war, which is a war crime,” said Volker Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights.
With Reuters and the Associated Press
• This article was amended on 20 March 2024. A typographical error meant an earlier version said “the US” suggested Israeli restrictions on aid may amount to a war crime. As the subsequent quotes from Volker Turk indicate, it was the UN that said this.
