The American website Axios quoted a senior White House official as saying that an understanding had been reached with the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to expand the operation in Rafah significantly before the visit of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Israel.

The website quoted American and Israeli officials as saying that Sullivan intends to visit Saudi Arabia and Israel during the end of this week, amid escalating tensions over the Israeli military operation in Rafah.

The White House hopes to extend Israel's commitment not to expand the operation in Rafah until a high-level meeting is held between two American and Israeli teams in Washington following Sullivan's expected visit, according to the website.

The sources explained that Sullivan's visit is an attempt to make progress towards a huge deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia that could include the normalization of relations between the Kingdom and Israel.

Sullivan's anticipated visit comes as the United States continues to pressure Israel to postpone a major military ground incursion into Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

American and Israeli officials are scheduled to meet to hold discussions on Rafah, but weeks have passed without a new date being set.

International allies and relief groups warned Israel of the dangers of any major ground incursion into Rafah.

“Of course, we will continue to hold talks with the Israeli government,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing.

“These talks are continuing, and they are constructive,” she added, noting that Sullivan said this week that he expected direct talks in the coming days.

American efforts for a ceasefire

For its part, the US State Department said that it is working to reach an agreement on Gaza, and that it considers this the best way to release prisoners and avoid a large-scale military operation in Rafah.

The Foreign Ministry added that if Israel does not have a political plan for the future of Gaza, it will find itself mired in a spiral of violence.

The American CNN network quoted officials as saying that the White House is working urgently to push for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza in anticipation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's move to begin invading Rafah.

The network added that American officials are still unsure whether Netanyahu will make a final decision to invade Rafah and challenge US President Joe Biden.

The network quoted two senior US administration officials as saying that President Joe Biden's administration believes that Israel has mobilized enough forces on the outskirts of the city of Rafah in Gaza to proceed with a large-scale incursion in the coming days.

One official warned that Israel had not yet come close to making adequate preparations - including building infrastructure related to providing food, hygiene and shelter - before potentially displacing more than a million Gazans currently residing in Rafah.

It pointed out that if Israel continued a large-scale ground operation in Rafah, this would represent a disregard for months of warnings issued by the United States to abandon a large-scale attack on the densely populated city.

Biden himself expressed this warning in his clearest terms yet last week, saying that the United States would withhold some additional arms shipments to Israel if it took such a step.

Commenting on this, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House on Monday that President Biden “has been clear that he will not provide certain offensive weapons for such an operation if it occurs.”