The Biden administration has discussed imposing restrictions on Israel’s use of American-made weapons in Gaza if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders an invasion of Rafah, according to a report. More than 1 million Palestinians are currently sheltering in the city in southern Gaza, and the U.S. government fears that Israel could not launch an evacuation that would prevent large numbers of civilian casualties in the event of an invasion, according to Axios. One U.S. official also told the outlet that an invasion of Rafah would likely lead to the U.S. ending its defense of Israel at the United Nations (after previously blocking three Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire). Asked over the weekend if he considered an Israeli military operation in Rafah a red line, President Biden said: “Yes, it is.” Netanyahu said the following day that he too had a red line—ensuring that “October 7 doesn’t happen again.” No decision has yet been made about how Washington, D.C., will respond if Israel does invade Rafah, according to Axios.
