Despite the pressure exerted by the United States on it, Israel is preparing for the operation in Rafah, and is taking actual steps in the field, according to what the “Central News Bulletin” [Channel 12] reported yesterday (Wednesday). The army has begun isolating Gaza City, in case the negotiations collapse. Regarding the kidnapped deal. The army is preparing for the operation in Rafah by manipulating tunnels, attacking militants, and the apartments in which they hide, attacking weapons stores, and eliminating “terrorist activists.” As part of the preparation for the operation in Rafah, and as part of addressing the issue of the civilian population, the Prime Minister requested the purchase of 40,000 tents from China, and upon their arrival in Israel, they will be transported to specific and clear places in the Strip, where they will be set up for the refugees. Meanwhile, Defense Minister Yoav Galant is coordinating the operation with his American counterparts in Washington.

Meanwhile, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with Lyonette Levy on Channel 12 yesterday: “We believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is a mistake.”

Kirby continued: “We simply cannot support a major ground attack in Rafah without an achievable plan that guarantees the safety of the 1.5 million Gazans who have taken refuge there. They took refuge in Rafah because of the operations that took place in the northern Gaza Strip, in Khan Yunis, and before that in the city of Gaza".

He added: "We need to make sure that their safety will be preserved. We recognize the necessity of acting against Hamas, and we also recognize that Israel has the right to do so. Hamas still poses a real danger, and we know that there are 'saboteurs' in it." Rafah. We fully understand the need to do this, but we do not think that entering Rafah is a good idea.”

As for the warning about the “repercussions” of the military operation in Rafah, which was stressed by US Vice President Kamala Harris, Kirby did not give details about it, and said: “I do not want to present estimates, or talk about hypothetical scenarios. We believe that there are other ways to pursue Hamas.” 'In Rafah, once again, Israel has the right to do this, but it must not endanger the lives of refugees.'

In light of the severe crisis between Israel and the United States as a result of the failure to use the veto in the Security Council, Kirby stressed that the United States had not changed its policy towards Israel, and said: “This is not a change in our policy in any way. The wording of the resolution contains a link between the kidnapping deal and "Ceasefire. Moreover, since this resolution does not condemn 'Hamas', this was the reason for our abstention from voting. But there is no change in our policy. President Biden remains committed to doing everything in his power to return the kidnapped."

As for the lack of any progress in communications related to the kidnapped deal with Hamas, Kirby said: “We have not progressed in the direction we want, that’s for sure. We had the impression that the gaps were closed, and we were close to reaching a deal that would enable us to release the kidnapped people. Now, "It seems we have not made progress, at least, not in the direction we had hoped for."

He continued: "But this does not mean that we will give up making efforts. We will continue to work on this deal, and we will work strongly, and do everything in our power to bring the two parties back to the room and agree on this matter. This is not the first time that 'Hamas' has been an obstacle." .

As for the escalation on the northern front against Hezbollah, Kirby was asked: Will the United States remain committed to exporting weapons to Israel at any cost? He replied: “Our support for Israel and its security is strong. But I want to stress that this does not mean that we will not hold direct and frank talks with our partners in Israel on this issue.”