White House says latest Israeli attack on Rafah did not cross red line for Washington

After much international criticism against Israel for the latest attack in Rafah, the White House said that the air operation, despite leaving “heartbreaking” images, did not cross the red line for Washington to consider a change in its policy towards the State. Israeli.

“We still do not believe that a major ground operation in Rafah is justified. We still do not want to see the Israelis, as we say, crush Rafah with large units over large areas of territory. “We still believe that and we haven’t seen it until now,” he said. John Kirby, the White House spokesman, during a press conference on Tuesday after being asked about the latest Israeli attack.

"As a result of this attack on Sunday, I have no policy changes to speak of," Kirby added , in a clear endorsement of Israel amid strong questions. "It just happened. The Israelis are going to investigate it. We will be very interested in what they find in that investigation. And we’ll see where it goes from there.”

Last Saturday, after suffering a round of rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip, Israel announced that on Sunday it would attacked a Hamas compound in the city of Rafah, eliminating two commanders of the terrorist group: Yassin Rabia, head of the West Bank headquarters; and Khaled Najjar, senior officer of the same unit.

The attack, according to Gaza health authorities, caused a fire that caused the death of dozens of Palestinian civilians . Israel said it is investigating the incident closely to determine what caused the fire and assured that they have learned their lesson about this latest attack.

In line with what Kirby said, Sabrina Singh , deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, argued that the latest Israeli attack was further evidence that Israeli retaliation remains limited in scope .

“We still consider that what is happening in Rafah and what they are doing[el ejército israelí] It has a limited scope,” Singh told reporters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the Rafah fire was tragic and said that Israel is “investigating it thoroughly” in line with its long-standing policy and conduct.

According to various Israeli media, officials in that country told the United States that the fire was caused because the attack on senior Hamas leaders hit a fuel tank near a camp for displaced Palestinians.

Although the United States recognizes Israel's right to defend itself, the White House also reported that it is asking its Middle East ally to reinforce your concerns to protect civilians in Gaza and contain the impact of collateral damage in the war against the terrorist group Hamas.