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full screen US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a meeting in Israel in January. Archive image. Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AP/TT
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in Washington on Monday to reiterate US opposition to Israel’s planned ground offensive in Rafah.
The meeting between the ministers came after Israel canceled a planned visit to the United States after the United States abstained when the United Nations Security Council voted in favor of a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
During the meeting with Yoav Gallant, Blinken reiterated US “opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
“A ground operation would endanger the well-being of the more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians residing there,” Miller continues.
Such a move “would further jeopardize the welfare of the more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians residing there,” according to Miller’s statement.
The ministers also discussed the need to immediately bring in additional aid to the civilians in Gaza.