Biden says Israeli attack on Rafah should not take place without a ‘credible’ plan to protect civilians

President Joe Biden on Monday said Israel’s planned military operation against Hamas in the Gazan city of Rafah “should not proceed without a credible plan” to ensure “safety and support” for the more than one million civilians who’ve taken shelter there since Israel started its offensive against Hamas in the wake of the 7 October terror attacks.

Speaking alongside King Abdullah II of Jordan at the White House, Mr Biden said he and the Jordanian leader discussed both the Israeli operation and the status of civilians there.

“Many people there have been displaced, displaced multiple times, fleeing the violence to the north, and now they’re packed into Rafah, exposed and vulnerable — they need to be protected,” Mr Biden said.

Israeli airstrikes killed more than 100 people in the city overnight, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Around half of Gaza’s pre-war population is now crammed into sprawling tent encampments and overcrowded UN shelters after fleeing from Israel’s offensive further north.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week called for his military to develop a plan to evacuate the city ahead of a planned attack on Hamas holdouts there, as aid agencies warned any such move would be a “bloodbath.”

The president said he has been “clear” from the start of the conflict about US opposition to any “forced displacement” of Palestinians and stressed that he has been in contact with partners in the region to ensure a more steady flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, both from the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border and from other points of access.

President Joe Biden, centre, and First Lady Jill Biden, second right, greet King Abdullah of Jordan, second left, Queen Rania, right, and Crown