Blinken says US cannot support Rafah assault without humanitarian plan

ASHDOD, Israel – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, May 1, that he has still not seen a plan for Israel’s planned offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah that would protect civilians, repeating that Washington could not support such an assault.

Blinken and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem for two-and-a-half hours, after which Israel repeated that the Rafah operation would go ahead despite the US position and a UN warning that it would lead to “tragedy.”

“We cannot...