What Is The US 'Red Line In Rafah' That Will Cause A Shift In Its Israel Policy?

The United States said on Tuesday it was monitoring the probe into a deadly Israeli airstrike it called tragic but added that the recent deaths in Rafah didn’t qualify as a major ground operation, crossing any of its red lines.

Israel says it is carrying out limited operations in eastern Rafah along the Gaza-Egypt border, as its Western allies have warned against a full-fledged offensive in the city. Israeli shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 people overnight on Tuesday, according to multiple agencies. The strikes pummeled the same area where strikes on Sunday triggered a deadly fire that engulfed tents in a camp for displaced Palestinians, killing 45 people.

“The Israelis have said this is a tragic mistake,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a White House briefing when asked about whether the events in Rafah are the type of “death and destruction” US officials have warned could result in the withholding of more aid to Israel. The US doesn’t have “a measuring stick here or a quota,” Kirby said.

‘RED LINE’

‘Major ground operation’

“We’ve also said we don’t want to see a major ground operation in Rafah that would really make it hard for the Israelis to go after Hamas without causing extensive damage and potentially a large number of deaths. We have not seen that yet,” he said, noting that Israel’s operations were mostly in a corridor on the outskirts of Rafah. Asked if he was saying the recent ground operations in Rafah would not prompt a US withdrawal of more military aid, Kirby said “I believe that’s what I’ve been saying here.”

Recent deaths in Rafah have tested US President Joe Biden’s promise to withhold weapons from Israel if the US ally made a major invasion of Rafah that put displaced persons there at risk. More than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Israel launched its air and ground war after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing more than 250 hostages.

READ MORE: Israeli Tanks Enter Heart of Rafah, UN Security Council To Discuss Deaths Of Civilians In Airstrike

‘Tragically wrong’

Israel said that “something unfortunately went tragically wrong” in Sunday’s airstrike while its military denied shelling the tent camp on Tuesday. Israel said it had targeted two senior Hamas operatives in Sunday’s operation and had not intended to cause civilian casualties.

Asked whether Israel’s strikes could put Biden in a difficult position, Kirby told reporters Tuesday that instead there was a real danger that Israel could become further isolated from the international community with the manner in which it is conducting operations.”So this is of concern, clearly, because it’s not in Israel’s best interest,” Kirby said. “And it’s not in our best interest for Israel to become increasingly isolated on the world stage.”

The State Department said on Tuesday that as soon as it saw reports of Sunday’s Rafah incident, Washington expressed deep concern to Israel and urged an investigation, which Israel has promised. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that Washington will be closely watching Israel’s probe but Israel’s military operations so far in Rafah have not been as large-scale as those in central or northern Gaza.

(With agency inputs)