Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the army to prepare a plan to evacuate residents from Rafah and begin an operation there.

This came according to a statement issued by his office, this Friday evening, following statements made by US President Joe Biden, in which he said that the military behavior in Gaza had “exceeded the limit” and had become an “exaggerated” response, and added that he was working to reach a sustainable truce. In the sector.

Netanyahu said, "It is not possible to achieve the war goal of eliminating Hamas and keeping four Hamas battalions in Rafah."

He added, "On the other hand, it is clear that a large-scale operation in Rafah requires the evacuation of the civilian population from combat areas."

The statement continued: “For this reason, the Prime Minister instructed the army and security services to prepare a double plan in the cabinet to evacuate the population (from Rafah) and dismantle the Hamas brigades there.”

Israeli Channel 13 reported, citing an Israeli official, that Netanyahu’s statement was a response to Biden’s statements, adding that “every step will be coordinated with Egypt.”

Biden said in response to a question about the situation in Gaza, “I think, as you know, the response in Gaza, in the Gaza Strip, was excessive,” and added, “We are pushing hard regarding the truce agreement between Hamas and Israel.”

He added: "I was in contact with the Qataris to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza," and pointed out that "I have no evidence that Hamas wanted to disrupt normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel with the October 7 attack."

During the past few days, American officials have directed their harshest criticism yet regarding the civilian casualties in Gaza as a result of the attacks of the Israeli occupation army, which has now shifted the focus of its attack to Rafah, but there are no indications that Washington’s talk is being listened to in Tel Aviv.

On his fifth tour to the region since the surprise attack launched by Hamas on October 7, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken last Wednesday criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza and said that the number of civilian deaths is still very high despite Repeated warnings, and suggested specific steps that Israel should follow.

Blinken said, in a press conference, that any “military operation carried out by Israel must take into account civilians in the first place... and this applies to the case of Rafah” due to the presence of more than a million displaced people.

When asked whether the United States would “stand by and watch” while Israeli forces target Rafah, Blinken reiterated the American position that the Israeli military operation must primarily consider civilians. For months, American diplomats have been urging Israel to change its tactics in Gaza, with little indication of success.

Washington has not tried taking steps that would exert greater pressure, such as placing restrictions on its $3.8 billion annual military aid to Israel, or changing its support for its ally in the United Nations. Critics say this provides Israel with a sense of impunity.