LOC22:42
19:42 GMT
WASHINGTON, March 27 (KUNA) -- The US Department of State announced Wednesday that Washington could back a limited Israeli operation in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah against the remnants of Hamas, but not a full-scale campaign that could cause massive harm to civilians or impede the delivery of humanitarian aid.
"What we have said is the kind of mission that we could support is a much more targeted, limited campaign that could still achieve the same objectives, that could still lead to the defeat of those remaining Hamas battalions inside Rafah, but without massive harm to the civilian population, without hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance and without actually weakening Israel security instead of strengthening it," Mathew Miller, spokesman for the Department of State, said in a news briefing.
Miller stressed that the US thinks that the plan that Israel has said it intends to pursue with respect to Rafah is one that would be a mistake that would have enormous -- terrible impact on the civilian population there.
"A full scale military operation into Rafah would be a mistake and it's not something that we can support," he said.
On a report that Netanyahu's office has sought to reschedule the meeting that was supposed to happen this week in Washington, Miller said "I can't -- I can't confirm that exact report, but I can say that we do think it's important that that meeting happen".
"And we think there's a better way and we want to have the opportunity to present that better alternative to Israel. So we do think it's important that that meeting take place, but I don't have any scheduling updates," he noted. (end)
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