The White House said on Monday that President Joe Biden had made clear that there would be no military operation in Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip) “unless there is a plan for the security of civilians” there, in light of continued Israeli threats to invade it.

He explained in a statement, "We have not yet seen implementable plans regarding the security and safety of more than a million civilians in Rafah," noting the President's administration's efforts to achieve a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, "which provides the basis for sustainable peace, alleviates suffering, and returns detainees in the Strip."

For its part, the US State Department said today that "Israel has not yet provided us with its plan" to protect civilians before launching a military operation in Rafah.

This coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday renewing his intention to move forward with his plans to invade Rafah, in defiance of the American president who previously warned that such an attack would be a “red line,” in addition to several international warnings against invading the city.

Netanyahu added to the American news site Politico that the “red line” for him is “not to repeat the attack of last October 7,” that is, the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian resistance in response to the occupation’s attacks against the Palestinians and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

On the other hand, the US Central Command said that it carried out an airdrop of aid to northern Gaza to provide what it called “basic relief for civilians,” while the US State Department confirmed that the decision to establish a sea corridor to bring aid into Gaza is not an alternative to bringing it in by land.

The US State Department indicated that it will wait until the United Nations investigation into the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is completed before making the decision to resume its funding.

This comes in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression against Gaza since October 7, 2023, which has left tens of thousands of victims martyred, wounded and missing, most of them children and women, and massive destruction to residential buildings and vital facilities, amid famine looming over the besieged Strip with the scarcity of aid entering.