A virtual meeting between Israeli and US officials will be held today, April 1, on the subject of Israel's planned offensive in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli source said a week after Israel cancelled a delegation's visit to Washington, AFP reported.
"The meeting is scheduled for today and will be online. There may be an in-person meeting later in the week," the source said on condition of anonymity.
Israel's announcement of an imminent offensive in Rafah, a town in the southern Gaza Strip where 1.5 million Palestinians are crowded, most of them displaced, has caused great concern in the international community.
Israel decided not to send a delegation to Washington, as planned, to discuss its planned offensive against Rafah after the United States abstained at the United Nations on March 25, leading to the passage for the first time of a UN resolution demanding an immediate "ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip, more than five months after the Israeli offensive began.
The United States, Israel's main ally, opposes any large-scale ground offensive in Rafah. President Joe Biden has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send a delegation to Washington for consultations on Israel's plans for Rafah. / BGNES
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