The Israeli attack on Rafah will not eliminate Hamas.
(Baonghean.vn) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared on May 12 that a full-scale Israeli attack on the Gaza city of Rafah would cause "chaos" without eliminating Hamas, and emphasized that Israeli forces have killed more civilians than Hamas fighters.
“There is a possibility that Israel is on track to inherit an insurgency with many remaining armed Hamas fighters, or if Israeli forces leave, there will be a vacuum of chaos and anarchy that could be filled by Hamas,” Secretary of State Blinken said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
When asked whether the U.S. agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that Israeli forces had killed more civilians than Hamas fighters since the war began on October 7, Blinken simply replied, "Yes, we think so too." Blinken also confirmed that President Biden had temporarily halted the delivery of 3,500 "high-yield" bombs to Israel due to concerns that Israel would drop them on Rafah. According to Blinken, the U.S. is continuing to pressure Israeli leaders to develop a plan for Gaza after the war ends. He told NBC, "We haven't seen a plan for what will happen after the war in Gaza ends," adding, "We've talked to them about a much better way to achieve lasting results."
The US Secretary of State said Hamas fighters have returned to certain areas in northern Gaza that Israel had "liberated." According to Blinken, a full-scale attack could be "extremely costly," and Israel "would have to endure a prolonged insurgency."
When asked about the State Department report released on Friday that Israel may have violated international law in its use of U.S. weapons, Blinken said there was still too little evidence to warrant an end to all military support.
He said the chaos and danger of an ongoing war made it “very difficult” to pinpoint exactly what was happening or what weapons were being used in any particular action.
Republicans have sharply criticized President Biden's decision to halt even limited bomb deliveries. Senator Tom Cotton, a member of the Armed Services Committee, told CBS that the State Department report was "very clear: There is no evidence that Israel violated international law." He said Israel "is doing more than any military in history to prevent civilian casualties."
