By The United States of America (USA) has never minced its words when it comes to its support for Israel, on Monday 1 April 2024, the two states both agreed that they share the same objective that Hamas needs to be defeated.
In a two hour long video conference meeting, the two states represented by their high ranking specialised authorities, engaged on the situation unfolding in Southern Gaza City, Rafah, which is home to 1.3 million people. The Israeli forces have invaded the city in search for Hamas, however, thousands of civilians are losing their lives and the city is at the brink of a famine with humanitarian aid unable to access the city.
During the secure virtual meeting, both the parties agreed that Hamas must be defeated; but America raised some concerns regarding the operations of Israel in Rafah.
“The two sides over the course of two hours had a constructive engagement on Rafah. They agreed that they share the objective to see Hamas defeated in Rafah. The U.S. side expressed its concerns with various courses of action in Rafah,” read the joint statement.
In the meeting Israel agreed to take the concerns raised by America into account, as the two discussed alternative ways of carrying operations out without putting the lives of civilians in danger.
A follow up discussion is expected to take place sometime next week during an in person meeting.
Since 7 October 2023, the death toll in Gaza has now reached 32 845 and injuries reaching 75 392 with more than 1.5 million displacements.
