Mr. Kirby additionally tried to assuage considerations that america was breaking with its closest ally within the Center East.
“The argument that by some means we’re strolling away from Israel fly within the face of the information,” Mr. Kirby mentioned Thursday, citing Mr. Biden’s go to to Israel throughout the days of the Oct. 7 assault, offering cash and navy experience for its battle, and placing American fighter pilots within the sky to shoot down Iranian drones.
He mentioned america believes that Israel has “put an unlimited quantity of strain on Hamas, and that there are higher methods to go after what’s left of Hamas in Rafah than a significant floor operation.”
Mr. Kirby mentioned america was nonetheless working with Israel on methods it will probably assist it defeat Hamas, comparable to making certain that the border between Gaza and Egypt can’t be used for smuggling weapons and concentrating on Hamas’s leaders.
He additionally famous that whereas america has quickly paused the switch of bombs, Israel was “nonetheless getting the huge, overwhelming majority of every thing that they should defend themselves,” and {that a} current funding bundle handed by Congress will proceed to ship billions to Israel.
Mr. Biden’s choice to pause sure weapons shipments to Israel underscored brewing frustrations between Mr. Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu has mentioned that Israel would transfer ahead with its invasion in Rafah even with out world help. Within the final week, Israeli forces have carried out a lot of focused strikes in Rafah, and confirmed different indicators of a significant floor invasion, together with the evacuation of greater than 100,000 individuals.
On Thursday, the Israeli chief mentioned: “If we have to stand alone, we’ll stand alone. I’ve mentioned that, if obligatory, we’ll battle with our fingernails. However now we have way more than fingernails and with that very same energy of spirit, with God’s assist, collectively we’ll win.”